My dad and I circle the island display of mystery bags in Vintage Stock while As It Was by Harry Styles plays softly over the speakers, overpowered by the loud whirrs of an industrial heater working to warm the large, cluttered store. My father picks up a shiny blue, metallic Ted Lasso mystery bag from one of the shelves, offering to buy it for me with one condition: that I watch the TV show. I’m never one to say no to free stuff.

Safe to say that after watching the show, I loved it. Ted Lasso not only excelled in the comedy show genre but also in the topics of men’s mental health, character development, and inclusivity. With three complete seasons and hour-long episodes, Ted Lasso manages to induce laughs from the audience while also tugging at their heartstrings with character vulnerability and perspective-shifting quotes. 

The show is set in Great Britain, while the main character, Ted Lasso, is straight from the heart of America, Wichita, Kansas. Lasso, despite not knowing the sport, takes a job to coach “futball,” aka soccer, for AFC Richmond in London.

 In the first season of the show, we learn that Lasso actually took the job for more than just the coaching; his wife was unhappy and needed distance. With a sinking marriage and scrutiny from the British media and his players, Lasso eventually has a panic attack. Leading to the first big representation of men’s mental health in the show. 

Star and co-creator Jason Sudeikis worked to continue the representation with his writers, introducing a sports psychologist, normalizing the instability in emotions from men, taking away the stigma and “weakness” around men’s mental health. In the second episode, Lasso begins coaching his team, meeting a character, Sam Obisanya. After a consistent string of mistakes during practice, Lasso calls Obisanya over. He asked what the happiest fish on earth is, stating it’s a goldfish because of its ten-second memory. Ted then told him to be a goldfish and forget the mistakes, highlighting early on the willingness to address athletes and their mistakes. 

This, to me, demonstrates the attention to detail and the true meaning and care about well-being behind the show, rather than just entertaining the average consumer. Balancing comedy and the representation of mental health makes it easier for the average person to digest and truly understand the characters. 

Sudeikis and his co-creators focused on a character-driven narrative, forming an emotional connection with their viewers, creating more engaging and intricate plotlines. Club owner, Rebecca Welton, set out to destroy AFC Richmond and Ted Lasso’s reputation. She eventually grew to love Lasso, regretted the sabotage, allowing viewers to resonate with her and the struggles of forgiveness and self-acceptance. 

The star player on loan from Manchester City, Jamie Tartt, begins the show viewed as self-absorbed and cocky, bullying the kit man and his fellow teammates. Throughout the rest of the show, the audience watches Tartt begin to grow and take accountability for his past mistakes and apologize to his previous “victims.” 

The development of Jamie tartt through out the show highlights how well the show creates layered characters with potential for improvement. Jamie’s character is relatable because it reflects the real-life ups and downs we all experience in life. His character does an exceptional job of showing how challenging but rewarding introspection is. 

With the show set in London and professional players from all over the world, Ted Lasso has a diverse cast from different backgrounds and nationalities, representing diversity. Ted Lasso emphasizes the many strengths in women that are often overlooked. The show gives a refreshing angle where women are in power and places men in a more emotionally vulnerable state, something the modern world is reluctant to accept. 

For example, Keeley Jones begins as the girlfriend of a football player but eventually becomes a businesswoman and an expert in public relations. She gracefully steps into the role of being one of the biggest positive role models in the show. This intriguing perspective hooks viewers because women in power are not often what the audience sees in the real world. Like our 2024 presidential race, where a woman with 117 days to campaign still lost out to a man with 34 felonies. 

However, despite covering mental health, having good character development, and inclusivity of multiple cultures, some critics argue that there is a lack of depth and avoids going even deeper into the complexities of the situations. But the show has an intentional focus on positivity and optimism, with deeper and more complex themes, which could have taken away from the overall message of the show. 

In the show, It is revealed that Lasso’s father killed himself, and it is described by Lasso as taking the “easy way out.” However, diving deeper into that scene would’ve taken away from the true purpose of the scene, which was his struggle with grief. I think that this is something that the average viewer might miss without truly immersing themselves in the characters. 

Ted Lasso set the mark to challenge toxic masculinity and normalize mental health conversations on on-demand television while also having a global appeal with its diverse cast. Ted Lasso is able to leave landmark impressions on its audience, creating significance with a “believe” sign that starts off as a small item at the beginning of the show, becoming a greater detail to the player and to fans of the show, leaving them to decorate their spaces with identical signs. 

Beginning as a show about an American Football coach exploring the competitive life of English Futball, Ted Lasso quickly became adored by fans because of the comedy, men’s mental health, character development, and inclusivity.