Ted Lasso is a comedy-drama television show about a sports agent created by Jason Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt and Joe Kelly for FX. Sudeikis created the figure for a series of advertisements promoting NBC Sports’ coverage of the English Premier League.
The show follows American college football coach Ted Lasso as he is assigned to manage an England football team in the expectation that his inexperience will lead to the team’s demise.
Ted Lasso has had a meteoric rise to prominence, eventually becoming Apple TV+’s crown jewel against all odds. The show stars Saturday Night Live alumnus Jason Sudeikis as American football coach Ted Lasso, who is thrust into the unknown world of English football after being hired to manage the (fictional) AFC Richmond.
Ted Lasso is the television equivalent of a warm hug because of his appealing mix of heart and humor. More cookies and hope came with the second season premiere in July. Join me as I research how to create the most talked about, upbeat television show.
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1. Ted Lasso started as a commercial
As far back as 2012, when he first appeared in an NBC Sports commercial, Ted Lasso was designed to promote NBC’s coverage of the English Premier League. As in the show, Sudeikis’s character was an instant hit with viewers in the commercial. A year later, NBC decided to do another commercial starring Ted Lasso because the first one was so successful.
Sudeikis’ then-girlfriend Olivia Wilde encouraged him to pitch ideas for a Ted Lasso TV series with his creative partners, including Brendan Hunt (who plays Coach Beard) and Joe Kelly. Sudeikis had the idea years earlier, but it wasn’t until he met Scrubs and Cougar Town creator Bill Lawrence that the show was created.
2. Ted Lasso Star Brett Goldstein was initially hired as a writer
While his portrayal of AFC’s cantankerous Captain Roy Kent has become iconic, actor Brett Goldstein was initially hired on the show as a writer. Goldstein admitted that while creating Kent’s persona, he developed feelings for the part and “just started to think I could play Roy.”
Goldstein emailed Bill Lawrence an audition tape on his last day in the writing room with the message, “If this is humiliating, you can pretend you never received this email.” Fortunately, Goldstein, prominent in Ricky Gervais’ Derek series on Netflix, landed the role shortly after the risk was taken.
3. Nick Mohammed and Phil Dunster auditioned for the role of Higgins
A video of Ted Lasso and his teammates doing a lavish rendition of the running man has gone viral, and this is the first time most people have seen Ted Lasso. The heartwarming scene has been a staple of Jason Sudeikis’ long and successful career.
Sudeikis, a former Saturday Night Live cast member, dances several episodes of the sketch show What Up With That. Rather, Sudeikis told Entertainment Weekly, “it’s the same dance I did when I was 15 and one of the few white kids on a Kansas City basketball team to make my friends laugh.”
5. Ted Lasso broke an Emmy record
Since its debut, the show has been a critical darling, and at this year’s 73rd Emmy nominations, Ted Lasso’s profile has reached new heights. Ted Lasso’s first season received a whopping 20 Emmy nominations, surpassing Glee’s record of 19 set in 2011.
There were a total of eight nominations for the show, including Best Comedy Series, Best Lead Actor (Jason Sudeikis), Best Supporting Actress (both Hannah Waddingham and Juno Temple), and Best Supporting Actor (four different cast members) (Brett Goldstein, Nick Mohammed, Brendan Hunt and Jeremy Swift). The Emmy voters have spoken and football is the meaning of life.
6. Ted Lasso also set an Apple TV+ record
The show’s popularity has grown alongside its growing list of awards. According to Apple, the season two debut had the most viewers of any Apple original to date. The company said that with the release of season 2, ratings for all of its original programming went up. Despite the lack of complex data, it’s clear that Ted Lasso is Apple TV+’s most popular original series.
7. Marcus Mumford of Mumford & Sons composes music for Ted Lasso
In 2012, when Mumford & Sons appeared on Saturday Night Live, Sudeikis had the opportunity to meet the band’s lead singer, Marcus Mumford. They remained friends, which is why Sudeikis left Mumford a voicemail asking if he would do the show’s score. Mumford and guitarist Tom Howe composed the show’s score, including the rousing theme song.
