It only took me a single episode to become a diehard Ted Lasso fan, the Apple TV+ show with Jason Sudeikis. And it took me by surprise, the depth to which I connected with these characters, rooted for them, shared their disappointments, and cheered for Richmond.
I listened to a Brené Brown’s podcast where she interviewed Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt and she mentioned she uses the show as the basis for a leadership program. I have no idea if that’s actually true or not, but it made me think that this show may not only be brilliant at showing us a different way to live our lives, but also how to lead.
Make kindness cool again. There is something so unreal about the show that is like water in a desert – the way it has overt and ongoing kindness. We just don’t see that very often. And yet, the show is not without hardship, conflict, disappointments, anger (hello Jamie + Roy, Ted + Michelle, Rebecca + Rupert…). It’s that kindness still exists alongside those other experiences and sometimes even in the face of it that is so unique.
Everyone has a backstory. And we rarely know what it is. What did you think of Nate in Season 1? What assumptions did you make about him? And what do you see now that we know more of his story and circumstances in Season 2? It is so easy to fall prey to our assumptions, to make up stories about who other people are (or even worse, who WE are, based on how we see ourselves through others’ eyes), to dismiss one another. Interestingly enough, while Ted seems to be the most open and gregarious character, his disarming nature hides one of the toughest backstories, learned late in Season 2.
Vulnerability doesn’t have to be met with fixing. In a raw moment where Ted opts to share a hard truth with his Diamond Dogs before a game, their response is first silence. No rush to fix, no “I’m sure you’ll be OK, you’re tough!”, no “manly” pats on the back. And, in a response we’re not used to seeing, they each reveal something that they too have held back. What if we started to meet vulnerability with vulnerability (or at the very least, with space) instead of trying to sweep past it as fast as we can, lest it bury us in feelings we’re desperate to avoid?
I realized that what keeps me riveted with this show is the way it unabashedly leans into story lines that show people living through the tough stuff in raw, brave, fearless ways that we so rarely see in real life. And it is so much more compelling than the way most of us “manage” through the tough times, desperately seeking the ease of good times. And I just can’t look away. Bravo, Ted Lasso.
