How it came to me (the show, not the realization)
I don’t like sports. I’ll link an occasional sports story, I make references to Air Bud more than the average person. And I’ll tear up at the end of a good sports movie like anyone else (though I’ll tear up at anything too. My wife says she’s never watched a Spider-Man movie without me crying through it). But I don’t seek out sporting matches, nor stories about them. 1 And yet people kept telling me to watch Ted Lasso.
There are three kinds of recommendations. There’s personalized recommendations. Alex, I think you’d like this video game because it’s a really emotional story, like To The Moon, and the mechanics reinforce the plot in a clever way. These are the best kinds of recommendations!
There’s the general recommendations. I think you’d like XCOM because it is good.
And then there’s the selfish recommendations. I think you should play Undertale because I like Undertale. There’s a lot of overlap between these lats two categories! And it can be hard to distinguish between them.
I have friends whose recommendations I prize, treasure, and prioritize, because they are tailored to me. That is a form of love. I have other friends whose recommendations I tuck gently behind a couch pillow, never to consider again. They are the third kind, the kinds about the friend. And I know that these friends and I have different tastes.
My favorite recommendations are of the form, “I hated this, you’ll love it!” which is how I was introduced to my 2023 game of the year, Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle. I’m also a fan of: “I know you don’t like anime, but…” because it shows a level of thought and consideration. And of course, there’s the much more common, “Have you heard of this? You’d love it!”
Ted Lasso has been recommended to me almost exclusively in the second form of recommendation. “You should watch Ted Lasso because it is good.” These recommendations are useful, and easy to ignore. If I think I’ll like the thing, I know it’s a good example of the thing. I don’t like soccer or sports, so even a good soccer show isn’t going to be my jam. Great! I’m glad it exists, it’s not for me.
And then they kept coming. At a wedding last year, two of my friends from high school were talking about stickers they had. One had a collection of stickers from Ted Lasso. It’s great! She said. “You’ve gotta watch it!” Oh yes, the other agreed. “I was reluctant, and then I begrudgingly watched the first episode because [friend 1] made me, and I fell in love. It’s so good!” Oh, okay. I nodded. I’ll note that down. No, no, I put all my urgent and well-considered recommendations behind this couch cushion. It’s so I’ll see them later.
I brushed it off.
Then two things happened:
First, was Canadian. Canadian is what we call my friend Dave because, well, you get it. He posted (again, generally! Not targeted!) that he believed Ted Lasso to be the greatest show of the last decade. Big talk! I don’t watch a lot of shows, but I do have a fairly good read on what kinds of things Canadian likes, and we’re mostly aligned.
The second was The Deal. Apple had a 3 months for $3 deal, which I scooped up. People had been telling me to watch so many shows, that I couldn’t pass it up. And now that deal is coming to an end, with just 20 days left in my affordability period. That adds pressure in the form of exigency.
I watched the Studio, and liked it more than I expected to. Didn’t love it, but it was enjoyable. I intend to watch Severance. But I’m looking at my Apple list, and one low hanging fruit stood out: Ted Lasso. Great! I said. I’ll watch the first episode, decide it’s not for me, and cross it off my list. Easy win!
Folks, it’s good. Dag nabbit, but it’s good.
How it came to me (the realization)
I watched the first episode of Ted Lasso and was immediately charmed. It wasn’t what I expected at all! For one thing, I thought that he was coaching little kids. I didn’t expect the drama, the complexity, the humor, or the folksy charm. I immediately watched the second, and if it hadn’t been 10 at night, I’d have watched the third as well!
I promptly texted my friend from the wedding, letting her know how grumpy I was! I wanted an easy win! Not a new show to watch! The next day I finished the first season.
It turns out that the show which had been nominated for TWENTY EMMIES in its first season is good, actually.
So now I made the second kind of recommendation to you: Ted Lasso is very good. Even if you don’t like sports shows, you might consider giving it a chance. I loved it, it completely won me over, and it’s worth my time.
And that’s the highest compliment I know how to give.
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Pay no attention to the fact that I am currently pre-casting a radio drama about a curling team. That’s less about the curling and more about the modern adaptation of Othello that it also is. ↩