Ted Lasso

, holding an AFC Richmond jersey, and First Lady Jill Biden greet the cast of Ted Lasso in the Oval Office on March 20, 2023. Ted Lasso, an American college football coach, is unexpectedly recruited to coach a fictional English Premier League soccer team, A.F.C. Richmond, despite having no experience coaching soccer. The team's owner, Rebecca Welton, gained ownership of the team in a divorce from her unfaithful ex-husband, Rupert. She has hired Lasso, secretly hoping he will cause the team's downfall and devastate Rupert, who cared more about AFC Richmond than anything else. However, Ted's charm, personality, and humor begin to win over Rebecca, the team, and those who had been skeptical about his appointment. ==Cast and characters==

Main • Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso, an American college football coach from Kansas City, MO, who is hired to coach AFC Richmond, an English soccer team. He is frequently ridiculed for his folksy optimism and inexperience with the sport, but gradually wins people over through his kind and compassionate approach to coaching. • Hannah Waddingham as Rebecca Welton, the new owner of AFC Richmond. She initially hires Lasso as a ploy to sabotage the team, but eventually comes to appreciate him and becomes a mentor and friend to Keeley Jones. • Jeremy Swift as Leslie Higgins, the timid but quirky Director of Football Operations. He has a large family with five sons. • Phil Dunster as Jamie Tartt (seasons 1–3), a talented but egotistical young up-and-coming striker. • Brett Goldstein as Roy Kent, a veteran box-to-box midfielder, captain, later assistant coach, then head coach of AFC Richmond. Kent is primarily based on hot-headed Irish former footballer Roy Keane. • Brendan Hunt as Coach Willis Beard, Lasso's grounded, laconic longtime assistant coach and friend, from Peoria, Illinois. He meets his London girl friend over a game of chess. • Nick Mohammed as Nathan "Nate" Shelley (seasons 1–3), AFC Richmond's former kit man turned assistant coach who became publicly known as "The Wonder Kid". He becomes the head coach at West Ham United until he quits mid-season and returns to Richmond as an assistant kitman/coach. • Juno Temple as Keeley Jones, a model who becomes the club's manager of marketing and public relations, before starting her own firm. • Sarah Niles as Dr. Sharon M. Fieldstone (season 2; recurring season 3), a no-nonsense sports psychologist. • Anthony Head as Rupert Mannion (season 3; recurring season 1; guest season 2), Rebecca's vindictive, philandering ex-husband, the former owner of AFC Richmond, and later the owner of West Ham United. • Toheeb Jimoh as Samuel "Sam" Obisanya (season 3; recurring seasons 1–2), a young Nigerian right back, later converted to a right winger. • Cristo Fernández as Dani Rojas (season 3; recurring seasons 1–2), an enthusiastic young forward from Mexico who joins midway through the first season, after recovering from an injury. • Kola Bokinni as Isaac McAdoo (season 3; recurring seasons 1–2), a center-back who is the vice-captain, later promoted to captain. • Billy Harris as Colin Hughes (season 3; recurring seasons 1–2), a young Welsh left winger who is initially closeted. • James Lance as Trent Crimm (season 3; recurring seasons 1–2), a pragmatic reporter formerly working for The Independent before being fired in the second season after revealing who was the anonymous source that leaked Ted's panic attack; in the third season, he is writing a book about the club, ultimately titled The Richmond Way. Recurring AFC Richmond personnel • Stephen Manas as Richard Montlaur, a young, womanizing French midfielder. • Moe Jeudy-Lamour as Thierry Zoreaux / "Van Damme", a French Canadian goalkeeper and a close friend of Isaac's. In the third season, Zoreaux changes his name to "Van Damme" after Jean-Claude Van Damme. • Charlie Hiscock as Will Kitman (seasons 2–3; guest season 1), the new equipment manager after Nate's promotion. • David Elsendoorn as Jan Maas (seasons 2–3), a Dutch center back known for his blunt personality, who transferred to Richmond from Ajax. • Moe Hashim as Moe Bumbercatch, a Swiss midfielder who is close friends with Richard. • Ash Bayliss as Arlo Dixon, Richmond's English right back. He is named after Arlo White and Lee Dixon. • Flaurese as Gareth Canterbury (seasons 1–2), Richmond's reserve left back, who is from Slough. His name and hometown are a reference to the British version of The Office, namely its characters Gareth Keenan and Tim Canterbury. • Maximilian Osinski as Zava (season 3), a talented but eccentric striker. Zava is based on Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimović, while Osinski says that he is a "mix between Ibrahimović and French forward Eric Cantona." Other characters • Annette Badland as Mae Green, the local pub's landlady. • Gus Turner (season 1–3) and Grant Feely (season 4) as Henry Lasso, Ted's son. • Rosie Lou as Ms. Kakes (season 3), Rupert's assistant at West Ham • Spencer Jones as Deryck (season 3), the owner of Nate's favorite restaurant • Shannon Hayes as Shannon, the recurring "Soccer Girl" who occasionally bumps into Ted around Richmond • Precious Mustapha as Simi (season 3), chef at Sam's restaurant Guests • Kieran O'Brien as James Tartt, Jamie's abusive father • Jimmy Akingbola as Ollie (season 1), Ted's driver when he arrives in England, who also works at his family's Indian restaurant • Kiki May as Nora (season 2), Sassy's teenage daughter and Rebecca's goddaughter • Harriet Walter as Deborah (seasons 2–3), Rebecca's mother • Sofia Barclay as Dr. O'Sullivan (seasons 2–3), an ER doctor and surgeon who treated Sharon after her bike accident, later confirmed to be Roy's sister and Phoebe's mother • Sam Richardson as Edwin Akufo (seasons 2–3), a petty Ghanaian billionaire who buys Raja Casablanca and tries to convince Sam to sign with the team • Edwin De La Renta as Francis, Edwin Akufo's assistant and handshake surrogate • Scott Van Pelt as himself, a SportsCenter anchor who breaks the news regarding Ted's hiring at AFC Richmond • Karen Johal as Nicole Shelley (season 3), Nate's sister • Sam Liu as Michael (season 3), Colin's boyfriend. • Matteo van der Grijn as Matthijs, who lives on a house boat in Amsterdam and rescues Rebecca after she is knocked off a footbridge into a canal. His name is never spoken on screen but seen in the credits • Nonso Anozie as Ola Obisanya, Sam's father • Becky Ann Baker as Dottie Lasso, Ted's mother (season 3) • Leanne Best as Georgie, Jamie's mother • Steve Edge as Simon, Jamie's stepfather Notable cameos Many sports and television entertainment personalities appeared on the show, often appearing as themselves in cameo roles throughout the series: • Lloyd Griffith as Lloyd, one of the regular reporters at the AFC Richmond press conferences • Arlo White and Chris Powell as themselves, providing commentary for AFC Richmond's matches • Jeff Stelling (seasons 1–3), Chris Kamara (seasons 1–2), Paul Merson and Clinton Morrison (season 3) as themselves, as presenter and pundits on Sky Sports Soccer Saturday, the show in which Roy briefly appears • Thierry Henry and Gary Lineker as themselves, playing soccer pundits throughout the show • Seema Jaswal and Ian Wright (season 2) as themselves, as a soccer TV show presenter and pundit • Fleur East as herself (season 2), the host of Lust Conquers All, the reality dating show that Jamie appears on • Mike Dean as himself (seasons 2–3), the referee who officiates several of AFC Richmond's games • Holly Willoughby and Phillip Schofield, as themselves (season 2), presenters of ITV's This Morning who interview Jamie about his appearance on Lust Conquers All. • Eni Aluko appears as Georgia (season 2), a member of the street soccer team in the second season. • Peter Crouch, Tom Fordyce, and Chris Stark (season 2–3), who are members of That Peter Crouch Podcast are heard in radio show clips describing current events at Richmond. • Rebecca Lowe and Jermaine Jenas as themselves (season 3), presenter and pundit on the Premier League Round-up show. • Colin Mochrie and Ryan Stiles (season 3), who are heard (but not seen) as Canadian TV soccer commentators Lanny and Bruce in season 3's "International Break". • Pep Guardiola as himself (season 3), manager of Manchester City. • Kasali Casal, Lee Hendrie, Jermaine Pennant, George Elokobi and Jay Bothroyd as opposition players. ==Episodes==

Season 1 (2020) Season 2 (2021) Season 3 (2023) Season 4 ==Production==

Development Jason Sudeikis originally portrayed the title character in 2013 as part of a series of television commercials for NBC Sports promoting their coverage of the Premier League, in which Lasso is depicted as the new head coach of Tottenham Hotspur F.C. In about 2015, Sudeikis's then-girlfriend Olivia Wilde suggested that he revisit the character, perhaps in a story in which Lasso found his career direction change. Whereas the original Lasso was more broadly comic and, as Sudeikis described him, "belligerent", he decided to make Lasso more sympathetic for the television series, explaining his reason for doing so in a May 2023 interview with The Guardian: The series was commissioned in October 2019 by Apple TV+, with Sudeikis reprising the role. The series is co-owned by Warner Bros. Television, where Lawrence's production company Doozer is based, and which controls linear distribution rights to the series, and NBC subsidiary Universal Television, which is a "passive partner". On August 19, 2020, Apple TV+ renewed the series for a 10-episode second season. It was later confirmed that the second season had been expanded to 12 episodes. On October 28, 2020, the series was renewed for a third season. On an episode of the Scrubs rewatch podcast Fake Doctors, Real Friends with Zach + Donald, Lawrence indicated that Ted Lasso would likely be a "three-season show" due to Sudeikis's limited availability beyond the third season, and that the story had a planned resolution within those three seasons. In June 2022, Brett Goldstein also commented that the series would end after three seasons—"We are writing it like that." In March 2023, Sudeikis said that the third season "is the end of this story that we wanted to tell", and that there are possibilities for spin-offs. In an interview published in August 2023, Declan Lowney, who directed multiple episodes of the series, reiterated that the third season was "the end for now" and that it would be "two or three years [from filming the season] before anything happens — if anything happens". In October 2021, Apple TV+ reached a licensing deal with the Premier League worth as much as £500,000 (around $682,000) for the series to feature the league's logos, kits, and trophy starting from the third season. On March 6, 2022, a day before filming for season 3 began, Nike, Inc. posted on its official Twitter account a photo of its trademark Swoosh logo incorporated onto an AFC Richmond kit, implying that the show's production had reached a deal with the company to act as the fictional club's "official" kit manufacturer on future episodes. Some sources have noted the many similarities between the character of Ted Lasso and Terry Smith, an American football head coach who became the first American to be the manager/head coach of a professional English soccer club. AppleMagazine.com (which is not affiliated with Apple Inc.) writes that the series "was actually inspired by the story of Terry Smith, an American gridiron football coach who took over the English association football team Chester City and subsequently installed himself as the first-team coach". In June 2024, Warner Bros. Television CEO Channing Dungey talked about the possibility of Ted Lasso returning for a fourth season. In August 2024, cast members Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein, and Jeremy Swift signed contracts for a possible fourth season. In March 2025, the series was officially greenlit for a fourth season and that it was in the early stages of production. Writing Actors in the series Brett Goldstein and Brendan Hunt also joined the writing team along with Sudeikis as the second and third members of the main cast to do so. While Hunt and Sudeikis were part of both the cast and writing team from the start, Goldstein was initially a writer and story editor. It was only after a video audition of some Roy Kent scenes was sent to the showrunner, Bill Lawrence, that Goldstein was added to the cast. The episodes "Carol of the Bells" and "Beard After Hours" were the two episodes developed when the second season was expanded by two episodes, fitting in to the continuity of the second season without affecting storylines of the written episodes. In March 2025, Sudeikis said that scripts for a fourth season were being written and that "Ted's coaching a women's team." Casting Theo Park is the series's casting director. Nick Mohammed, who portrays Nate Shelley, originally auditioned for the role of Leslie Higgins, which in the end went to Jeremy Swift. In March 2021, Sarah Niles was cast as Dr. Sharon Fieldstone, a sports psychologist for AFC Richmond in a main capacity for the second season. About Niles' casting, Park said that "It was really important with that role that [Niles] had a real sense of security and almost completely unflappable." Filming 's stadium Selhurst Park was used as AFC Richmond's Nelson Road. Production began on the second season in January 2021. In March 2021, Jason Sudeikis and Hannah Waddingham were spotted filming outside a pub in London. Filming wrapped for the second season on June 4, 2021. Filming for the third season was set to take place between January and June 2022. The show incorporates many real-life members of the British football and television entertainment community. This also includes using a number of genuine television shows which feature the actual presenters, sets and theme songs, including the Sky Sports programme Soccer Saturday. The daytime ITV show This Morning also features in season 2. For the second season, assistant director Sophie Worger hired former professional player Kasali Casal to manage the football choreography. Casal enlisted a team of former professional players to play for the opposition teams facing AFC Richmond during game scenes, these included former Premier League and England internationals Lee Hendrie and Jay Bothroyd, as well as former Liverpool player Jermaine Pennant and Wolverhampton Wanderers defender George Elokobi. Filming for the third season began on March 7, 2022. The series filmed on location in Amsterdam for the third season. With the emergence of Nate becoming West Ham United's head coach during season 3, the club's London Stadium was used for filming. Stamford Bridge, the home of Chelsea, was used for filming in the third season episode "4–5–1". The appearance sparked controversy amongst Chelsea supporters after the show's editing team modified a memorial banner for the late Chelsea player Ray Wilkins that was paid for by the club's supporters. The banner which reads "They don't make them like Ray anymore" was changed to read "Roy" to tie in with the storyline of Richmond coach Roy Kent returning to his old club. Owner Todd Boehly released a statement apologizing to fans and to Wilkins' family, claiming the deal with Apple was agreed before he had purchased the club. During the third season, further Premier League stadiums including Manchester United's Old Trafford and Burnley's Turf Moor were briefly filmed for on-field action, while Dutch Eredivisie side AFC Ajax's Johan Cruyff Arena was used for on and off the field scenes at the beginning of the episode "Sunflowers". Later episodes in Season 3 also filmed at Arsenal's Emirates Stadium and Manchester City's City of Manchester Stadium. Production on season four began in July 2025, with some filming locations being scouted in Blue Springs, Missouri and other locations in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Filming began on July 21, with a photo of the main cast seated at Gates, a Kansas City barbecue restaurant. Other locations included scenes filmed at CPKC Stadium during a Kansas City Current match, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and Country Club Plaza. Filming shifted back to London later in summer 2025. Merchandising In March 2021, Bill Lawrence revealed that official Ted Lasso merchandise would be for sale ahead of the season two premiere. The merchandise, including football jerseys, became available in June 2021. In 2023, to coincide with the release of season 3, Nike released a full range of AFC Richmond merchandise including jerseys, hoodies, tracksuits, and practice shirts. ==Release==

The first season of 10 episodes premiered on Apple TV+ on August 14, 2020. The first three episodes were released at once, followed by weekly installments of the remaining seven. A second season of 12 episodes premiered July 23, 2021. In October 2020, it was renewed for a third season of 12 episodes, In March 2025, it was announced that the series was renewed for a fourth season, which was set to premiere in summer 2026. In April 2026, it was announced the fourth season would premiere on August 5, 2026. == Reception ==

Critical response Season 1 Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 92% based on 74 reviews, with an average rating of 8.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Warm and winsome, if not particularly hilarious, Ted Lasso fleshes out its promo premise with unrelenting optimism and a charming turn from Jason Sudeikis." Reviewing the series for Rolling Stone, Alan Sepinwall described the series as "extremely likable throughout, but it's more a hypothetical comedy than an actual one. There are long stretches where Juno Temple is the only actor even trying to sell what few jokes are in the scripts." and gave a rating of three out of five. Writing for The Guardian, Benjamin Lee gave it two out of five, describing it as "a show that isn't unwatchably bad but isn't really much of anything", and suggesting that some of its humor was "rooted in some questionable and uneasy stereotypes". As the season went on, critical appreciation increased. After the eighth episode, Caroline Framke of Variety published a review with the headline "For Your Reconsideration: Ted Lasso". She went on to say, "Above all odds, Ted Lasso chipped away at my skepticism until there was none left—just like the character himself does to everyone he meets", adding, "At a time when just about everything feels catastrophic, there's something undeniably satisfying about spending some time with good people who are just trying to be the best they can, on and off the field." Keri Lumm of Paste said, after the airing of the penultimate episode, "Ted Lasso is the wholesome American hero we need", going on to say "... the landscape of television has felt kind of gloomy, so imagine my surprise when I turned on the TV to Ted Lasso and felt a swelling of a now unfamiliar emotion—hope". And after the finale aired, Lea Palmieri from Decider said: "Every step of the way, Ted Lasso proves to be comforting and entertaining and somehow both a distraction and a reminder that kindness is out there, not just on this fictional show, not just across the pond, but deep in the heart of America too." Season 2 The second season was met with critical acclaim. Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 98% based on 126 reviews, with an average rating of 8.6/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "As comforting as a buttery biscuit from a friend, Ted Lassos sophomore season is a feel-good triumph that plays into the show's strengths while giving its supporting team more time on the pitch." David Sims of The Atlantic felt the series had "devolv[ed] into ham-fisted, novelistic nonsense" in its pivot from its sitcom roots to a "prestige drama" in the third season. Sims lamented the hourlong episode runtimes, which he described as "a pure example of the excesses that can flourish on streaming television", and characterized the season overall as unfocused and lacking in conflict. Like Sims, Linda Holmes of NPR identified the season's separation of the cast as its primary weakness, suggesting that the series should "refocus on relationships" rather than give each character their own storyline. Jack King of GQ conversely felt the series had "markedly improved" in the third season, but found Sudeikis's "saccharine" lead character to be the "least interesting" part of the series. Awards and nominations The first season received 20 nominations at the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards, becoming the most nominated freshman comedy in Emmy Award history at that time. It won 7 awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series and acting awards for Jason Sudeikis, Brett Goldstein and Hannah Waddingham; while Brendan Hunt, Nick Mohammed, Jeremy Swift and Juno Temple received nominations. Sudeikis also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series for 2020 and 2021. The series won in the categories for Outstanding New Program, Outstanding Achievement in Comedy and Program of the Year at the 37th TCA Awards and also won for best Comedy Series and New Series at the 73rd Writers Guild of America Awards. The second season received 20 nominations at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards. It won four awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series, acting awards for Sudeikis and Goldstein, and a directing award for MJ Delaney. Several actors received nominations, including Toheeb Jimoh, Mohammed, Temple, Waddingham, Sarah Niles, James Lance, Sam Richardson and Harriet Walter. The third season received 21 nominations at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards. It was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series, Sudeikis for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Phil Dunster and Goldstein for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, Temple and Waddingham for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, Becky Ann Baker, Sarah Niles and Harriet Walter for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series, and the finale episode was nominated for both outstanding writing and directing. At the 75th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, Sam Richardson won for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. Following the debut of the third season, the cast of Ted Lasso were invited by US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden to the White House to promote mental health and well-being, a theme that was featured in storylines during the second and third seasons of the show. Audience viewership Ted Lasso became the most watched television series on Apple TV+. The first-season premiere episode became Apple TV+'s most watched premiere and it ranked 89th overall among other television series or shows measured across streaming platforms from November 1, 2019, to July 18, 2021. ==Other media==

In December 2021, Apple TV+ released Ted Lasso: The Missing Christmas Mustache, a four-minute claymation special. In September 2022, it was announced that AFC Richmond and Nelson Road would appear in the video game FIFA 23. The team would be available in multiple online and offline modes, with players also able to select Ted Lasso to manage any team in the game, as well as have someone else manage the team. Ted Lasso: The Richmond Way, a box-set containing seasons 1–3, was released on Blu-ray and DVD on July 30, 2024. ==See also==