Ted Lasso

Ted Lasso, sports comedy-drama television series starring Jason Sudeikis as an American football coach who is appointed manager of AFC Richmond, a floundering English soccer club. The show follows the bumbling but good-hearted Ted Lasso as he tries to win over the team’s players, staff, and fans. Ted Lasso debuted on Apple TV+ in August 2020 and ran for three seasons. In 2026 it was revived for a fourth season, in which Lasso returns to England to coach a women’s soccer team. The series has been critically acclaimed, winning 13 Emmy Awards, including back-to-back trophies for outstanding comedy series in 2021 and 2022.

Premise and characters

Ted Lasso is set in Richmond upon Thames, London, where the fictional soccer club AFC Richmond is struggling to win games in the English Premier League (EPL). The club’s owner, Rebecca Welton (played by Hannah Waddingham), wants to spite her ex-husband, Rupert Mannion (Anthony Head), who cares about the team, by sabotaging AFC Richmond’s performance. To this end she hires Ted Lasso (Sudeikis), an American football coach from Kansas City, Missouri, who has no experience coaching or managing a soccer team and is ignorant of many of the sport’s rules. However, over time his determination, kindness, and optimism help him connect with the players, fans, and Welton, and the team starts to play well.

Other key characters include the footballers Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein), who is inspired by real-life soccer player Roy Keane, Sam Obisanya (Toheeb Jimoh), and Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster). Juno Temple portrays supermodel and eventual public relations expert Keeley Jones. Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt) is a fellow American and longtime friend of Lasso who travels with him to England to help coach the team. Nathan Shelley (Nick Mohammed) is an equipment manager who later becomes an assistant coach. Leslie Higgins (Jeremy Swift) is the club’s director of football operations.

Discover how ordinary objects work, and expand your understanding of the familiar.

SIGN UP

" height="20" alt="HEW Logo">

Thank you for signing up!"

Back to homepage

By clicking "Sign Up", you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Background and production

The character of Ted Lasso first appeared in a 2013 NBC Sports promotional video after the network had acquired broadcast rights to air EPL soccer games. In the promo, Lasso is shown coaching the English club Tottenham Hotspur FC and satirically remarking on differences between American football and soccer. Another promo followed in 2014; both went viral. In 2015 actress and director Olivia Wilde, who was engaged to Sudeikis at the time, suggested that he adapt the character to a TV show. Sudeikis worked with fellow comedians and writers Joe Kelly and Brendan Hunt to develop the concept over the next few years, and in 2017 they teamed with Bill Lawrence, a television veteran who helped run such hit shows as Spin City and Scrubs. The show was picked up by Apple TV+ in 2019. Lawrence stepped down as co-showrunner after the second season, leaving Sudeikis as the head creative force in charge. Jack Burditt, a veteran producer of 30 Rock and Modern Family, was brought in to colead the fourth season.

Although its creative team is American, Ted Lasso is largely filmed in England and has sought to emulate the slower rhythms of British sitcoms, especially The Office. Notable filming locations include Selhurst Park, which in real life is the home stadium of the EPL club Crystal Palace, and Wembley Stadium. In addition, the show has featured cameos from well-known figures in the football world, including former players and coaches such as Thierry Henry, Gary Lineker, Pep Guardiola, and Chris Powell.

Release, reception, and awards

The first season, made up of 10 episodes, was released on Apple TV+ starting in August 2020. It was well received, becoming the most-watched Apple TV+ program in several countries, including the United States. Many critics and viewers appreciated its optimistic tone, which contrasted sharply with the anxious atmosphere of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was in its first year. The second season, with 12 episodes, aired starting in July 2021. A third season, also with 12 episodes, followed starting in March 2023. The fourth season, comprising 10 episodes, debuted in August 2026.

Ted Lasso has been popular and critically acclaimed. Its first season garnered 20 nominations at the Emmy Awards in 2021, a new record for the first season of a comedy series, surpassing a mark previously held by Glee. Ted Lasso won seven awards, including acting awards for Sudeikis, Waddingham, and Goldstein, as well as the trophy for outstanding comedy series. At the following year’s awards, the show again had 20 nominations and won four awards—repeat wins for Sudeikis, Goldstein, and outstanding comedy series, as well as a directing award for M.J. Delaney. In 2023 it received 21 nominations and won two awards. In addition, the series received a Peabody Award in 2020, the award committee praising it “for offering the perfect counter to the enduring prevalence of toxic masculinity, both on-screen and off, in a moment when the nation truly needs inspiring models of kindness.”

Explore Britannica Premium!

The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.

SUBSCRIBE

Ted Lasso has also had a wide cultural resonance beyond television. The fictional AFC Richmond team, with manager Ted Lasso, was included in the video game FIFA 23 in September 2022. In March 2023 Sudeikis and other cast members were hosted at the White House by U.S. Pres. Joe Biden for a discussion on mental health. The same month, Nike announced a collaboration with the show, becoming the official kit provider for AFC Richmond on-screen; the new collection was made available in Nike’s online stores. In addition, Sudeikis appeared in character as Lasso during the halftime show of the 2026 FIFA World Cup final in July 2026.