Just like the scrappy soccer workforce it follows, Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso is a little bit of an underdog. In spite of everything, it was based mostly on a collection of NBC Sports activities commercials, which isn’t essentially the most promising begin, and it debuted to little fanfare final summer season on a brand new streaming service that hadn’t discovered its breakout hit but.
However underdogs can shock you: Overwhelmingly optimistic word-of-mouth turned Ted Lasso into an unlikely sensation, and it grew to become one in every of final 12 months’s most acclaimed collection. (Immediately, at each occasion, you’d hear somebody saying, “Have you ever seen Ted Lasso? I loooove Ted Lasso!”) That’s lots to reside as much as in Season 2 — which premieres Friday, July 23 on the streamer — however having seen the primary three episodes, I’m completely happy to report that the brand new season is simply nearly as good as you’re hoping… although it has a extra melancholy tone than you is perhaps anticipating.
Season 2 picks up after final season’s heartbreak, with Ted (Jason Sudeikis) and his ragtag workforce AFC Richmond being relegated to a lesser soccer league, the place they frustratingly hold getting ties in match after match. The premiere does get off to a bumpy begin with a clunky plot level that’s out of character for a usually grounded collection, however it results in the introduction of Season 2’s large addition: sports activities psychologist Dr. Sharon Fieldstone, performed by Sarah Niles (I Might Destroy You). She’s introduced in to assist get the gamers’ heads on straight, and she or he shortly lets Ted know she’s not a fan of juvenile horseplay… or cookies. The gamers love her, however she’s seemingly resistant to Ted’s charms — and her arrival triggers a recent wave of hysteria within the previous ball coach.
Actually, she has loads of psychological points to type via right here. Season 2 has a mournful, uneasy really feel to it total; it’s virtually like an emotional hangover after final season’s sugar excessive. Practically each character has hit a tough patch of some type: Former rivals Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) and Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster) are each humbled by varied setbacks and are within the technique of constructing their means again as much as their former glory. Even the relentlessly upbeat Ted is haunted by demons that he hasn’t absolutely processed but. If Season 1 was all about Ted successful everybody over with the facility of positivity, Season 2 is extra like, “OK… so now what?”
However don’t fear: The plucky, can-do spirit that made final season so particular nonetheless endures. It’s powerful to select a favourite efficiency from this deep roster of supporting gamers — they’re all so good! — however Hannah Waddingham has an particularly robust begin in Season 2, as Rebecca embarks on a terrifying new chapter in her life. Plus, Toheeb Jimoh’s Sam takes a giant step ahead, and Episode three places him within the highlight with an intriguing dramatic flip that offers with the moral pitfalls of company sponsorship. In the meantime, Ted remains to be the king of random pop-culture references (“Make like Dunst and Union, and convey it on!” he tells a reporter), and Sudeikis’ goofy, folksy attraction continues to set the tone and tie the entire collection collectively.
What’s it about Ted Lasso that made us all fall so laborious for it, although? Perhaps it simply hit us on the good time: Debuting throughout a pandemic when all of us felt disconnected and wired, this present is heat, and comfy, and life-affirming. It reassures us that individuals are primarily type… even the individuals who appear the least type at first. Like Friday Evening Lights, the sports activities setting is nearly irrelevant. At its core, Ted Lasso is a human story — and a pleasant reminder that, via victory and defeat (and even ties), we’re all on the identical workforce.
THE TVLINE BOTTOM LINE: Season 2 of Ted Lasso nimbly avoids the sophomore stoop with a pivotal new addition and a extra introspective tone.