Ted Lasso has become accustomed to a warm reception on Twitter. In addition to critical acclaim and a historic 20 Emmy nominations, Reba McEntire, Diane Sawyer, and Ryan Reynolds have all reveled in the fact that they were name-checked on the hit Apple TV+ series. Unlike AFC Richmond, Ted Lasso is no longer an underdog—which means people are going to take shots at it.
Five installments into the show’s 12-episode season, criticism of its cheery outlook and slow burn plotting has cropped up. In late July, The New Republic asked, “Do We Still Need Ted Lasso’s Relentless American Positivity?” before declaring that “the honeymoon is over for the second season.” Then the Los Angeles Times published an article titled, “Ted Lasso is celebrated as TV’s nicest show. That’s exactly what’s holding it back.” But it was an August 22 Twitter thread by The Daily Show writer and producer Daniel Radosh that caught showrunner Bill Lawrence’s attention.
In a thread called, of all things, “How Ted Lasso Lost the [Thread],” Radosh took aim at the new season. “A lot of people still aren’t ready to admit it but it’s clear that season 2 of Ted Lasso is not good, certainly not as good as S1,” he wrote. “And I think the reason is everyone completely misunderstands why everyone loved S1.” Radosh then detailed characters’ tonal shifts and the season’s pacing. He maintained that while “S2 still has time to redeem itself…right now it might be the steepest decline from S1 to S2 in TV history.”
Lawrence replied to Radosh’s summation that same day. “Daniel. That thread. Oof. Must feel a lot like when Daily Show switched from Jon [Stewart] to Trevor [Noah] and all the haters went nuts without giving it a minute. (I’m actually a big fan of both). Our entire first season was 8 weeks long. We have 7 weeks left…” he began.
Ted Lasso’s cocreator went on to suggest that the backlash was premature, teasing the second season’s latter arc. “I feel like we’ve set up a lot. Maybe you’ll dig where it goes. Maybe not,” Lawrence wrote. “And look, I watch tv the same way. This just stung more than usual. Not sure why, yet. I’m usually Teflon. Still, no biggie. I just now feel you’re obligated to watch and report back either way. TV!!”
Lawrence also retweeted an explanation that season two’s first three episodes were written under the assumption that they’d all be released at once, not once a week. Many on social media have wondered if Ted Lasso’s weekly rollout on Apple could be harming its reception, as most binged the first season all at once. (V.F.’s Joanna Robinson has addressed this very issue.)
Others have aligned themselves with Brett Goldstein’s grisly former footballer Roy Kent in season two, rather than Jason Sudeikis’s bright-eyed Coach Lasso. In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Goldstein ventured that the show’s second season is actually edgier than the first. “I love the love that you see for Ted Lasso, but there’s also, I think, a kind of simplification of the show,” he explained. “Particularly from people who haven’t seen it and are only aware of the hype and probably get annoyed with it. Like, ‘Oh, it’s just a lovely show where everyone’s lovely to each other!’ Know what I mean? That’s what it sounds like it is. But it’s also incredibly dark and difficult. I am always surprised when people say it made them feel warm and fuzzy inside.”
During Ted Lasso’s first season, its titular character encourages his team to “Be curious, not judgmental.” Let’s all heed that mantra as season two unfolds.
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