With the time we are going through Apple TV+’s series Ted Lasso is exactly what the doctor ordered. Times are tough and dark, the heart and kind-heartedness found in Ted Lasso have been appreciated by millions of watchers. The rare series which appeals to almost everyone. I have yet to find a person who has said they haven’t enjoyed it. And an even rarer one in which after a stellar first season does not suffer a decline of calibre in the second one.
Here is a little catch-up if you are not familiar with the series. Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis – The Angry Birds Movie, Booksmart) is a middling American football coach who is going through a divorce and so he takes a strange offer. He is hired to be the coach of a small club in the English Premier League. A fish completely out of water. I mean, the guy is living in England and he does not know the first thing about soccer and hates tea!
Season two brings us ten 50-minute episodes, which is the first change from the first season in that they were the more typical sitcom 30 minutes long. While it is good and retains its big heart, it is different in tone to season one. This one has a little more sadness as it deals with mental health issues. More specifically Ted’s. A team psychologist, Dr. Fieldstone (Sarah Niles – appeared in episodes of I May Destroy You and Trying) is hired and she and Ted conduct a mental pas de deux throughout most of the season. An interesting look at how mental health issues are not always obvious. Even those who seem the happiest can be affected.
While he is trying to hide this from others around him while keeping his cheery nature we get to know more about the other characters this season. From former player and always angry Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein – appeared in episodes of Doctor Who and Derek) to team owner Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddington – from television’s Sex Education) and even assistant coach/best friend Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt – Horrible Bosses 2, We’re the Millers). I mean, Coach Beard even gets his own episode towards the end of the season. Each of the actors is definitely up to the task and shows that the talent goes way beyond Sudeikis. Subplots are developed which are each interesting and varied in subject – such as dating after divorce, age difference in relationships, father-son relationships, what professional athletes go through after they retire, and how all relationships are different. Personal crises abound. Yet you still cannot help but smile throughout.