Ted Lasso Trivia | 35 facts about the Emmy awarded series

“Ted Lasso” is a sports comedy series aired on the streaming platform, Apple TV+. The series already counts 2 seasons and holds 7 Primetime Emmys.

Let’s find out more about Ted Lasso!

1. Ted Lasso is an American sports comedy-drama streaming television series.
2. It was developed by Jason Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt, and Joe Kelly.
3. The series is based on a character of the same name that Sudeikis first portrayed in a series of promos for NBC Sports’ coverage of the Premier League.
4. The series follows Ted Lasso, an American college football coach who is hired to coach an English soccer team in an attempt by its owner to spite her ex-husband. Lasso tries to win over the skeptical English market with his folksy, optimistic demeanor while dealing with his inexperience in the sport.
5. The first season of Ted Lasso, comprising 10 episodes, premiered on Apple TV+ on August 14, 2020, with three episodes, followed by weekly installments.
6. A second season of 12 episodes premiered on July 23, 2021.
7. In October 2020, the series was renewed for a third season.
8. Ted Lasso has received critical acclaim, with particular praise for its performances, writing, and uplifting tone and themes.
9. Among other accolades, it has been nominated for 20 Primetime Emmy Awards, with Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, and Brett Goldstein winning for their performances, and the series winning the 2021 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series.
10. Additionally, Sudeikis won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series.
11. Overall the series has won 7 Primetime Emmy Awards.
12. In what was originally meant to promote NBC’s airing of the English Premier League, the character of Ted Lasso first appeared in an NBC Sports commercial way back in 2012.
13. The commercial followed the same premise as the show, with Sudeikis’s character instantly charming audiences. It was such a hit that NBC created another commercial featuring Ted Lasso a year later.
14. With some encouragement from his then-partner Olivia Wilde, Sudeikis—alongside creative partners Brendan Hunt (who plays Coach Beard in the series) and Joe Kelly—began outlining what a possible Ted Lasso series might look like.
15. Yet it wasn’t until a few years later, when Sudeikis ran into Scrubs and Cougar Town showrunner Bill Lawrence, that the idea became reality.
16. According to Hannah Waddingham, the shortbread biscuits that Ted brings Rebecca every morning were “absolutely horrific”. The prop department admitted they hadn’t put much effort into making them taste delicious, as they hadn’t realized Waddingham would eat them with so much enthusiasm onscreen. Waddingham jokingly referred to Rebecca’s enjoyment of the cookies as “the greatest acting of my life”.
17. When Ted Lasso is rushing out from Rebecca’s office he jumps before door and hits his head on door frame. This was not scripted and Jason Sudeikis actually hurt his head.
18. Brett Goldstein, who plays Roy Kent on the show, was initially just hired on as a writer. He got so attached to the character of Roy that he sent an audition tape to Bill Lawrence and later won the role.
19. The character Ted Lasso first appeared in NBC Sports Premier League Film in August 2013. He reappeared in August 2014.
20. Music of the show is by Marcus Mumford of the band Mumford & Sons who is friends with Jason Sudeikis. Jason Sudeikis has featured in the Mumford and Son’s Hopeless Wanderer music video.
21. Ted Lasso’s “practice speech” to Jamie Tartt is nearly identical to a response Allen Iverson gave during a press conference.
22. In the first episode, a clip of Ted dancing in the locker room is shown. Sudeikis does the same dance moves he did as a character on SNL’s What Up With That sketches.
23. Zach Braff directed episode 2 of the series. He happened to be in Britain as the show had begun filming and he was invited to direct.
24. It feels odd imagining anyone other than Jeremy Swift embodying Richmond’s Leslie Higgins, yet quite a few other actors went up for the role.
25. These included fellow Ted Lasso actor Nick Mohammed, who plays lovable Coach Nathan. More surprisingly, Phil Dunster even auditioned for the role, before he landed the role of star-player and narcissist Jamie Tartt.
26. The show has been an awards darling since its release, with Ted Lasso’s recognition reaching greater heights at the 73rd Emmy Award nominations. Ted Lasso scored a whopping 20 nominations for its first season, breaking the previous record of 19 set by Glee way back in 2011. These included nominations for Best Comedy Series, Best Leading Actor (Jason Sudeikis), Supporting Actress (Hannah Waddingham and Juno Temple) and four nominations for Supporting Actor (Brett Goldstein, Nick Mohammed, Brendan Hunt and Jeremy Swift).
27. Nelson Road Stadium, AFC Richmond’s home stadium, is actually Selhurst Park, the real life home of Premier League club Crystal Palace FC. Ted’s first match as coach is against Crystal Palace.
28. Richmond Green, where teenagers are shown to be playing football is actually mostly used for playing cricket, with Tuesday or Thursday night games being played during the sunlight months.
29. Most of the scenes in town were film in Richmond Green, a space which is only 4.8 hectares but made to seem much, much bigger. The charity gala scene was filmed outside Richmond Green’s theatre.
30. NBC Sports agreed to let Apple create the show in exchange for getting “based on” credits for every episode.
31. As the show’s award standing has improved, so too have the viewing figures. Apple has stated that the launch of season two saw the largest audience for an Apple original premiere yet.
32. The company stated that season two’s arrival also saw increased viewership for their other original shows too. While no official figures have been released, proving once again that Ted Lasso really is Apple TV+’s crown jewel.
33. Marcus Mumford, the lead singer of Mumford & Sons, met Sudeikis in 2012, when his band performed on SNL. The pair remained friends, which is what led Sudeikis to leave Mumford a message asking if he would want to compose music for the show.
34. Alongside musician Tom Howe, Mumford composes the entire score for the series, including the catchy and uplifting theme song.
35. The show shares a major plot similarity with Major League (1989): a team owner’s former wife/widow wants nothing more than to see the club fail and does anything she can to sabotage it. The main difference being this is about a football club instead of a baseball team.