I want to believe in the revised AppleTV series Ted Lasso. Four episodes in, I’m still going on faith. There are, however, some positive signs.
Expectations are admittedly huge for this new variation of this Emmy Award-winning series, which soared in its initial run of three seasons. It became the show out of COVID where rattled viewers cozied up to a very likeable cast of characters and happily sheltered in place.
Star and co-creator Jasdon Sudeikis originally was content to go three seasons and out on the comedy-drama about a failing English soccer club, A.F.C. Richmond. The call went out for an American coach in hopes of tanking the team. That plan backfired spectacularly well.
Apple was so happy to get its biggest breakout hit back they opened the new season with a clever trailer showing many of their other series stars – Slow Horses’ Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb; John Hamm from Your Friends and Neighbours; Seth Rogan from The Studio, Jennifer Aniston from The Morning Show, Rhean Seahorn from Pluribus – welcoming Sudeikis back.
Certainly viewers were happy to hang with this beloved cast of characters once again. According to Nielsen, Ted Lasso returned in early August as the most streamed premiere in AppleTV’s history with over 200 million minutes watched in the US alone on opening day.
The hook that brings coach Lasso back to Britain is that his old boss, Rebbeca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) and the club’s PR whiz, Keeley Jones (Juno Temple) travel to Kansas to try and talk him into returning. The impossible task: manage Richmond’s new, finanacially challenged, female soccer team. Spoiler alert: he accepts.
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As a series re-launch, this triggers several problems. On the old series, and the third season in particular, the male soccer players were a big part of the show. That is a lot of familiar faces to replace all at once.
Giving fans plenty of minutes with the remaining cast members, therefore, makes sense — unless you over do it, and play up some of their quirkier sides. A little bit of Higgins (Jeremy Swift), for example, goes a long way. Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt), surfaces loopier than ever. Keeley seems to be channeling Baby Spice, and her on-again, off-again romance with player-turned-coach Roy Kent (Brent Goldstein) gets a little cartoonish.
The other problem, as I articulated Tuesday as a guest on Humble & Fred, is that even a dramedy needs a bad guy or two to ramp up the tension. So far, unlike the past seasons, no evil rival owner is out to wreck the team; no ex-coach seeks his own petty brand of revenge.
The good news is that things seemed to turn towards tension in episode four. Even that episode starts slow with a concocted podcast scene between former Lasso favourites: snooty journalist Trent Crimm (James Lance) and bicycle riding team shrink Dr. Sharon (Sarah Niles). It doesn’t work, and if it was cut, you wouldn’t miss it.
What does work and well is when we finally get to spend more time with the new players. As their clique-y quarrels get out of hand, Coach Lasso kicks them off the field and into a pub to jell together in a trivia league contest. Personalities emerge, including those of cold assistant coach Alice Chilton (Tanya Roberts) and several of the more spirited members of the team.
Also new to Lasso in Episode Four is the great Tracey Ullman as an eccentric entrepreneur who financially bails out Richmond’s female squad.
With all the brilliant people behind this series, including Emmy-winning actor-writer Goldstein and veteran executive producer Bill Lawrence (Shrinking, Rooster), there is reason to believe that, like the team, Season Four will continue to jell. The fifth new episode premieres Wednesday on AppleTV.
