[DownInFlames]

Originally Posted by Roughneck

Main thing that should be stated: it isn't the same Ted Lasso from the NBC Sports sketches. They get a lot of the jokes out of the way early, but they're with a different character. Sudeikis is great in it and the change in character is great.

It's a similar character. Same actor, accent, look, but not the same Ted Lasso. It was my biggest deterrent, but after seeing Bill Lawrence being a part of it, having the free Apple TV trial, after seeing a couple key reviews, I gave it a shot. It's wonderful.

It might repeat some things said in this thread, some things said in reviews, but I think they're all correct:

- aggressively endearing
- relentlessly optimistic
- heartwarming
- better than the concept deserves to be

They all encapsulate it. NBC sketch Ted Lasso was an arrogant and ignorant American. 'Ted Lasso' Ted Lasso is adorably curious and tremendously endearing. We want this Ted Lasso in our life. We need this Ted Lasso in our lives. But we might not deserve this Ted Lasso in our lives. As is said in the show 'you can't help but root for him.'

The other characters are based on some typical sports cliches we've seen in so many sports movies (Major League, Bull Durham in particular), but they quickly shake these archetypes and become well rounded, complex characters. It is presented as a sigh out of water cliche sports story, but it's all a facade. It's much more than that.

The concept is ridiculous. It feeds off cliches. It's unrealistic. But it just works and doesn't feel like any of it is a problem.

It just works. I love this show, and I didn't expect to make it halfway through the first episode. It truly is the kind of show we need right now.

Thanks for explaining this. I noticed NBS Sports in the credits but I never saw any of those bits so I wasn't sure of Lasso's origin. He's definitely a funny, sympathetic character so I agree that people shouldn't skip the show if they hated him on NBC.