The Apple TV series “Ted Lasso” is taking over the entertainment industry. Season one of the critically acclaimed series dominated the Emmy Awards, being nominated for over 20 Emmys in 2021 and 2022 and winning the award for Outstanding Comedy Series. Season two lives up to the expectations set by season one, creating awareness for real-world issues while keeping a comedic atmosphere.

Storyline

“Ted Lasso” season two tells the story of struggling AFC Richmond, a soccer club in England, battling to return to the English Premier League. Coach Lasso, played by actor Jason Sudeikis, attempts to make Richmond a family rather than a soccer team. Through comedic portrayal (and the tragic killing of Richmond’s mascot by a soccer ball), Lasso’s team bonds and becomes a unit on and off the pitch.
From the first episode, therapist Dr. Sharon Fieldstone is brought to the club to console and talk with players about their mental struggles. Dr. Fieldstone plays a vital part to the team, and specifically Ted, for the rest of the season.
Through this season, Richmond is forced to adapt and accept two former players. The quickest one the squad warms up to is Roy Kent. In season one, Kent played with Richmond but retired due to age and injury. He makes his return to the show initially as a TV soccer analyst but eventually agrees to help coach his former club. Jamie Tartt also makes his return to Richmond, but under different circumstances. Jamie burned bridges with players and coaches with his cocky attitude and focus on self fame in season one, but attempts to make amends with the club and integrate with the team physically and emotionally.
Each episode added another tangle to the plot and added conflicts between everyone at Richmond. Like last season, the story progresses until AFC Richmond ends the season. Assistant coach Nate longs for fame and recognition the whole season, and that creates many issues for the team. Season two, however, contains more conflict, ending the season with a shocking twist that sets up the premise and antagonism of season three. The story is well put together (save for some plot gaps and cheesy moments) and it flows well from episode to episode.

Acting

The actors did a terrific job with their characters. The viewer can feel the chemistry that the cast has created with the fictional persona they play on screen. Jason Sudeikis and Hannah Waddingham appear to have the most chemistry as they connect well with each other on screen, and that’s visible to the viewers. Phil Dunster, as “Jamie Tartt” and Brett Goldstein as “Roy Kent” work off of each other well. They have competitive personalities that clash, but that provides comedic relief to, at times, dark moments.
Character development shined throughout the second season, transitioning well from season one. All of the main characters completed yet another emotional arc that let them grow as individuals, and ultimately as a team. The acting and character development was amazing throughout the season, and it will be interesting to see how relationships between actors and characters develop and change in the upcoming season.

Emotional Appeal

The closeness of Lasso to his coaches and team leads to a bigger issue that both unites and divides the team. After his divorce in season one, Ted struggles with anxiety attacks. AFC Richmond’s team owner Rebecca Walton, portrayed by Hannah Waddingham, guides Ted through his panic and brings in a psychologist to help Ted and the team. Lasso’s struggles raise awareness about mental health and illness and answers questions about therapy. The show incorporates a real world issue into a team of professional athletes and normalizes mental struggles.
“Ted Lasso” accurately incorporates mental struggle as mental health becomes normalized across America. The writers and actors did an amazing job of adding those struggles to realistic situations and handling them in an effective way that viewers can connect to.

Setting

As far as settings go, “Ted Lasso” did a decent job. The background was simplistic because Richmond is a soccer team, so it contained mostly a soccer field or a soccer facility. Setting is the area that the show could improve on more, as each episode the soccer field background gets older and more bland. With this being mainly a soccer show, that could be hard, but the writers of this show have proved that they are creative, so modernising and changing settings could make this show even better.
Season two of “Ted Lasso” did not disappoint and followed season one well. The writers did a fantastic job of character development and paced the story along well. It’ll be interesting to see how the story continues in the upcoming final season, expected to release in the summer of 2022, and how the show will come to an end.