For anyone worried about a sophomore slump, fear not – season two of Ted Lasso is just as charming, kind, funny, and moving as season one. In fact, I loved the three episodes provided to critics* so much that I have watched them three times each as I impatiently wait for the July 23rd premiere date to approach (and the review embargo date to pass so that I could yell my adoration of season two to the heavens – and on social media). But while the series could easily have opted to rest on its laurels and coast – give us the same characters, the same charm, and cut corners with the character development and deep emotional growth we saw back in season one – Ted Lasso’s second season keeps the same high level of execution in place while providing additional character development and elevating the story to new heights.
*Since the initial writing, AppleTV+ has provided an additional five episodes to critics. These episodes continue the high level of production, writing, and performance encompassed in the initial three released for review. Suffice to say, season two of Ted Lasso is plain great.
When we last saw the AFC Richmond team, they had lost a heart breaker to Manchester City (thanks to their cocky, but secretly emotionally vulnerable, former star Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster)), resulting in their relegation to the Champions League.* In that loss, the team also lost their former captain Roy Kent (Brent Goldstein) to a devastating knee injury – a career ending situation for the once-great player. So, lots of plot threads to pick up: How will Jamie fit into the show now that he’s no longer on the team and playing for a club in a different league? Will Roy still be around now that he’s out of the game? And how will AFC Richmond fare in relegation – can they get back up to the Premier League by season’s end? Well, I don’t know the answer to the last question, but I can let you know that both Jamie Tartt and Roy Kent play key roles throughout season two, reintegrated into the main storyline in smart and funny ways.
*For those not up on their English football leagues, the top league – which AFC Richmond was in during season one – is the Premier League. The worst three teams in the league get relegated each season to the Champions League (and their top three teams move up to the Premier League). This gives clubs some incentive to play well, as they lose out on money and prestige when they are relegated.
Where season one of the series focused on building the family within AFC Richmond, season two is focuses on how to support your family, even when they claim they don’t want or need your help – or when they’ve betrayed your trust in the past. It’s not an easy lesson to learn (or teach), but the excellent Ted Lasso writing staff is willing to take the time to build up conflicts and slowly unravel them to satisfying results. There’s also a through line (which began in the season one finale) exploring the relationship between fathers and sons – something that works great when dealing with a show as male heavy as this one. As with all Ted Lasso storylines (and characters), this one zigs and zags in ways you can’t anticipate, getting to a point, late in season two, where everything becomes crystal clear. At the risk of repeating myself, watching a storyline build slowly, and then pay off in such a spectacular fashion, speaks to the great work the writing staff has done in crafting these arcs and giving us just enough information on each character to make them pay-off in spades.
While the whole cast is back again, there’s one key addition: the great Sarah Niles as Sharon, a sports psychologist brought in to help out Dani Rojas (Cristo Fernández, who is so good when he’s given a chance to shine in the season premiere) as he deals with a case of the yips, but who then ends up sticking around to help out the team as a whole. Sharon is a particularly intriguing addition as she’s the only character who isn’t wholly taken by the Ted Lasso experience – she recognizes his skill as a team leader, but she isn’t about to participate in hokey dance parties or bare her emotions to her colleagues. With Rebecca now fully drinking the Ted Lasso Kool Aid, Sharon, on the surface, fulfills that role of the outside skeptic for season two. However, unlike Rebecca in season one, Sharon isn’t working against Ted or the team – her goal is to help them in whatever way possible. She just comes in as an outsider, the show’s “straight man” in the face of the infectious joy that is Ted Lasso, and it becomes clear that her arc isn’t about having Ted change her worldview. Rather, she’s there to help Ted – and the rest of the characters – grow and confront some of their internal trauma whilst learning a bit about herself along the way.
As for the rest of the cast of characters, well, everyone has plenty to do in season two. Keeley (Juno Temple, commanding the screen) now exists outside of her love triangle and is all the better for it. Yes, she still has lots to do with Roy, but her friendship with Rebecca is wholly delightful and one of the highlights of the series. Rebecca continues to grow as a person, learning her own self-worth and discovering that she can be successful professionally and personally. Hannah Waddingham continues to be the true find of the series, and her chemistry with both Jason Sudeikis and Temple is sensational. One of the main joys of season two is that Waddingham is allowed to be silly in the role (and, yes, she does get to sing again), proving how gifted she is as a comedian in addition to continuing to tug on our heartstrings as the moment requires. Coach Beard (the great Brandon Hunt) continues to be as mysterious as ever while anchoring Ted as he continues to navigate his life. The surprise standout of season two is Sam Obisanya (Toheeb Jimoh, so kind, sweet, and never too much), who becomes one of the key characters in several storylines, and who we learn a great deal more about. And then there’s Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso. Pitch perfect in performance, Sudeikis appears effortless in his command of a truly tricky character. Ted never veers into schmaltz while continuing to be a shockingly complicated character whose layers we are only beginning to uncover. It’s an incredible performance, and a tight rope to walk each episode, and Sudeikis is just the perfect actor to pull it off.
If you are already a member of the (ever growing) Ted Lasso fan base, I suspect this review just made you all the more excited for season two. And if you haven’t yet snagged your AppleTV+ subscription, I cannot recommend highly enough that you do. Seriously, it’s the streaming service with the best original content at the moment, so Ted Lasso isn’t the only show worth watching (I’m happy to provide you with additional recs – just shoot me a note on Twitter). There is no show on TV that provides the same hit of serotonin along with flawless writing, acting, and direction. The laughs, tears, smiles, and storytelling are second to none. Ted Lasso remains just as wonderful in its sophomore outing as it did in season one. You’re all in for a treat. And I’ll be right there with you – watching these episodes for a fourth time.
Ted Lasso’s second season premieres on July 23, 2021 on AppleTV+. Episodes will be released weekly. I have seen eight of the ten episodes.
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