One of this year’s most pleasant surprises, Ted Lasso is preparing to wrap up its first season on Apple TV+. The sports comedy follows the eponymous college football coach from Wichita, Kansas who suddenly finds himself overseeing a football—as in, soccer—team in the English Premier League team. Series creators Jason Sudeikis and Bill Lawrence expanded on a character the former once played in promos for NBC Sports’ coverage of the Premier League. What could easily have been just another fish-out-of-water story is full of gentle humor and unexpected heart. Ted might not know anything about soccer, but he knows he doesn’t know anything about soccer; the golden retriever-like enthusiasm he shows in learning offers plenty of laughs. Even the fact that AFC Richmond owner Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) hired Ted with the intention of tanking the team to get back at her ex doesn’t take any of the luster off of Ted’s new gig. He fully embraces his new job, players, and home.
But, as we see in this exclusive clip from the season-one finale, Ted might not be abroad for much longer. For all his excitement, Ted admits to Rebecca that he still hasn’t mastered soccer strategy, and leaves it up to her to decide his future (as well as Richmond’s), following a fateful game.
We still get the feeling that Ted will find some way to overcome this latest obstacle, or at least accept defeat with his usual affability.
The sunniness of Ted Lasso and Sudeikis’ guileless performance have helped make the show a hit for Apple TV+, which landed one Emmy (for Billy Crudup in outstanding supporting actor in a drama) after receiving 18 nominations. The weekly release schedule also lends itself well to Ted’s own air of ease. Season one ends with “The Hope That Kills You,” which is available October 2 exclusively on Apple TV+, but Ted Lasso has already been renewed for a second season.