海角大神

The hit comedy 鈥淭ed Lasso鈥� plays like a sports version of 鈥淢r. Smith Goes to Washington.鈥�

The show, returning for season two on July 23, is about a Jimmy Stewart-like character鈥檚 resilience under pressure. Since the program鈥檚 debut on Apple TV+ last August, Ted Lasso鈥檚 innate goodness has resonated with pandemic-weary audiences. The word-of-mouth sleeper hit recently won a Peabody Award for storytelling and last week it was nominated for 20 Emmys.

A quick recap: Lasso is a Division II college football coach from Kansas who relocates to England to coach a professional soccer team. Alas, he knows absolutely nothing about the sport. Does it count that he鈥檚 heard of David Beckham? The sardonic soccer players aren鈥檛 just skeptical; they openly mock the coach鈥檚 sunny optimism.聽

Some culture watchers observe that what makes 鈥淭ed Lasso鈥� different from many fish-out-of-water stories is that the new setting doesn鈥檛 change the protagonist. Rather, he changes it. His ethos, embodied by the show鈥檚 tagline 鈥渒indness makes a comeback,鈥� expresses a hopeful vision of how grace can heal divisions. Fans and TV critics say the show succeeds at portraying buoyant actions and themes without making them seem out of touch.

鈥淚t has a tone that is very rare on American television, or British television, for that matter, in that it is positive and hopeful without seeming saccharine or unrealistic,鈥� says Ed Lee, an assistant professor at Emerson College who teaches screenwriting and comedic arts, in an email.聽鈥淢any shows would take a character like that through the story machinations of a cynical world in order to either prove that people are cynical, or prove that the world is too cynical for a man like Ted Lasso.鈥�

Thanks to his folksy geniality and handlebar mustache, Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) initially comes across like Ned Flanders from 鈥淭he Simpsons鈥� 鈥� but less cloying. The new coaching position challenges his sensibilities. For instance, when Lasso spots a racy pin-up poster in an athlete鈥檚 locker, he鈥檚 quick to cover it up. (It鈥檚 an adult show with situational humor that is occasionally, as the British would say, 鈥渂awdy.鈥�) On the field, his egotistic athletes commit fouls and spew foul language. Off it, they bully the meek locker room attendant. The club鈥檚 dysfunction goes all the way up to the top. Unbeknownst to Lasso, the soccer club鈥檚 new owner is secretly trying to sabotage him.聽

But the antagonists underestimate the coach鈥檚 savviness and proactive approach to his situation.

鈥淕andhi said, 鈥楤e the change you want to see in the world,鈥� and this creates the change you want to see,鈥� Mr. Sudeikis told Entertainment Weekly last year. 鈥淐reate the world where being nice, being uncynical, being egoless, being empathetic, and promoting forgiveness is not something that is weak.鈥�

When Lasso鈥檚 not spouting homespun sayings reminiscent of 鈥淒eep Thoughts With Jack Handey鈥� from 鈥淪aturday Night Live鈥� (where Mr.聽Sudeikis was a cast member), he鈥檚 quoting Walt Whitman: 鈥淏e curious, not judgmental.鈥� Instead of being resigned to the destructive behavior of those around him, the coach digs beneath the surface to try to understand why they鈥檙e acting that way.

鈥淭his is a show where people start out as mustache-twirling villains, but ultimately get redeemed, or at least get excused to some extent,鈥� says Philip Scepanski, author of the recently published 鈥淭ragedy Plus Time: National Trauma and Television Comedy.鈥� 鈥淚t is a useful message in a world where the country feels very divided and there鈥檚 no common ground between these two sides.鈥澛�

One of Lasso鈥檚 biggest challenges is to bridge the factions within the soccer squad. He encourages his athletes to become less selfish. That includes a more inclusive welcome of teammate Sam Obisanya (Toheeb Jimoh), a homesick Nigerian. The coach doesn鈥檛 define success by wins and losses. He鈥檚 more interested in encouraging his players to be the best version of themselves on and off the field. Lasso seems like a graduate of the 鈥淔riday Night Lights鈥� school of coaching.

鈥淲e all want somebody who sees the best of us when we can鈥檛,鈥� says Matthew Gilbert, television critic for The Boston Globe, who observes that audiences appreciate that Ted Lasso isn鈥檛 yet another superhero story or antihero story. 鈥淗e鈥檚 not just a soccer coach or a football coach. ... He鈥檚 a life coach.鈥澛�

Mr. Sudeikis has compared his character to Michael Landon in 鈥淗ighway to Heaven鈥� or Della Reese in 鈥淭ouched by an Angel鈥� because of the way Lasso leads by example. Late in the first season, he reveals a remarkable capacity for forgiveness. That鈥檚 not to say Lasso is perfect 鈥� he鈥檚 struggling with family troubles back home.

鈥淚n 2020, many of us missed our best selves or, more broadly, we missed people around us responding to terrible situations as their best selves would,鈥� says bestselling novelist Allison Winn Scotch, a fan of the series, in an email. 鈥淲hen faced with loss (sometimes literal, sometimes metaphoric), the characters responded in a way that we would hope that our best selves would.鈥澛�

The show鈥檚 message of taking moments to appreciate the good things in life deeply resonated with one of Ms. Winn Scotch鈥檚 friends, Amanda Rykoff, during the 鈥渄ark time鈥� of lockdown. It influenced the philosophy behind Ms. Rykoff鈥檚 recently launched baking business in Los Angeles.聽

鈥淚 could not only rely on Ted Lasso and that entire cast of characters to bring joy into my living room, but I could then bring joy to my customers and my friends through my baked goods,鈥� says Ms. Rykoff, who sometimes replicates the shortbread biscuits that Lasso is famously fond of. 鈥淚t is really about love and joy and humanity and forgiveness and being true to yourself. It鈥檚 such a special show that I just gave myself the chills just thinking about it.鈥�

鈥淭ed Lasso鈥� is rated TV-MA (mature audiences) for ages 15 and up.聽