REVIEW: ‘Ted Lasso’ Season 2 Improves Upon Everything That Made Season 1 a Success

Ted Lasso erupted onto the streaming scene late last summer, and as was a surprise to many, it was an utter success. While Apple TV+ was still relatively new to the market at the time, it has steadily launched some brilliant new originals, and chief among them is the American mustached man with a plan. Welcome back to Ted Lasso Season 2, an Apple TV+ original, developed and created by Bill Lawrence and starring Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso), Hannah Waddingham (Rebecca Welton), Brendan Hunt (Coach Beard), Jeremy Swift (Higgins), Brett Goldstein (Roy Kent), Juno Temple (Keeley Jones), and Nick Mohammed (Nathan Shelley).

Ted Lasso follows the events of a successful amateur American college football coach, who takes a job across the ocean to manage a struggling English football/soccer team in an effort to save his marriage. Ted, along with his assistant manager, Coach Beard, must now navigate one of the most competitive football/soccer leagues in the world while trying to learn the sport and understand the culture.

The joy of Ted Lasso is all about the deep-rooted character development and the relationships that blossomed. The show’s success, built on the foundation of a professional sports team, focuses far more on the people and our connection with sport and how it makes us feel. Season 1, without a doubt, found its way into viewers’ hearts with a storyline that none of us expected. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, it had no right to be that damn good and land its point so well. So how is it possible that Season 2 is even better?

Initially, Season 1 spent a good amount of time world-building and character development, carefully crafting an underdog story that you heavily invest in. Now in Season 2, the show has seemingly found a way to shift into a higher gear and really explore its larger cast.

Right off the bat, I have to mention one of the extraordinary talents from this season, and of course, “he’s here, he’s there, he’s every f**king where, Roooy Kent.” The dichotomy that Goldstein portrays in the role of Kent is utterly remarkable, and it’s this contrast that makes him such an appealing character. Fans of the show will fall in love with the development of Kent this season. Goldstein effortlessly steals every bloody scene he’s in.

Sudeikis and Hunt, as Coach Lasso and Coach Beard, deliver top-shelf performances once again, but one of the things that their characters always find a way to spotlight is that of the topic of mental health. In the first season, Ted overcame multiple obstacles while trying to manage a successful team of young men while his superior was trying to sabotage him.

Again, I come back to mental health, as this show continues to spotlight that people shouldn’t be defined by their flaws. There is no big bad villain; everyone plays both the hero and the villain at times. The characters are complex, with layers of motivation, given room to grow and fail. When you boil it down, Ted Lasso is a show that makes you believe in hope, positivity, and life in general.

While Season 2 continues to explore the same topics as Season 1, it doesn’t forget about one of its most successful cornerstones, the comedy. Holy hell, I was howling. The comedy comes from all angles, and the show keeps the laughter fresh, never feeling forced or recycled from the prior season. The comedy especially lands because of the superb writing. It’s witty, clever, and smothered in the most creative use of swear words.

Ted Lasso Season 2 still has no right being this good, but it is. It wonderfully straddles its comedic moments while balancing them out with so many heart-felt passionate moments. Everything about the show has been elevated, especially the development of the characters. So if you loved Season 1, then buckle up because Season 2 dialed everything way up.

The first two episodes of Ted Lasso Season 2 will be available exclusively on Apple TV+, Friday July 23rd, followed by new weekly episodes every Friday.