Behind-the-scenes of the show many of us needed during the pandemic…

When Ted Lasso first aired in 2020, nobody — including those who had worked on it — knew how a show inspired by an ad, centered around soccer, filled mostly with unknown actors, and led by a wondrously mustached “nice guy” would be received. Now, eleven Emmys and one Peabody Award later, it’s safe to say that the show’s status as a pop culture phenomenon is secure. And, for the first time, New York Times television editor Jeremy Egner explores the creation, production, and potent legacy of Ted Lasso.

Drawing on dozens of interviews from key cast, creators, and more, Believe takes readers from the very first, silly NBC Premier League commercial to the pitch to Apple executives, then into the show’s writer’s room, through the brilliant international casting, and on to the unforgettable set and locations of the show itself.

Egner approaches his reporting as a journalist and as a cultural critic, but also with an affection and admiration fans will appreciate, carefully and humorously telling Ted Lasso’s story of teamwork, of hidden talent, of a group of friends looking around at the world’s increasingly nasty discourse and deciding that maybe simple decency still had the power to bring us together — a story about what happens when you dare to believe.

Ted Lasso, the Apple TV comedy based on a character that had appeared in two ads for a sports network (watch here and here), was an unlikely hit. It was, perhaps, an even less likely phenomenon, which it turned out to be. Like many, I was also a little sceptical when I heard the pitch and premise. A free trial subscription to Apple TV made me try it, though, and I quickly fell in love with the characters, show, and its tone. Egner’s Believe takes readers behind-the-scenes of the show’s inception and production, and it’s a must-read for all fans.

Much has been said and written about the three seasons of Ted Lasso. It was released to a middling reception; indeed, Egner notes that it was only, really, a single Entertainment Weekly review that praised it at the beginning. Over time — specifically, the first few weeks of the pandemic — more people discovered the show and started to talk about it. Eventually, its popularity built into something akin to a feel-good juggernaut (despite some people still dismissing it, or hating certain decisions that were made in the second and, especially, the third season). In Believe, Egner takes readers on a journey through the development, casting, and production of the three seasons, as well as examining its cultural impact. The book is chronological, but the author notes that it was written in a way that one should be able to read any chapter in any order. (This is a pretty effective approach, although it does mean certain observations become a tad repetitive, and some quotations are used quite close together. A minor quibble.)

As with most oral histories/behind-the-scenes accounts, I found the chapters about the development of the show and first-season production to be the most interesting. I missed entirely the original Ted Lasso ads, so it was useful to read about the germination of the characters and how they developed into what we all saw on screen.

Considering the show’s reputation as “the one we needed during the pandemic”, the concept predates the pandemic by a couple of years. The idea had been germinating since the ads ran, almost a decade ago. Despite the buffoonish nature of the ads’ Ted, creators Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt (Coach Beard) and Joe Kelly wanted to take the character in a slightly different direction.

The concept was simple: Take all the antiheroes that had dominated TV for years, from Tony Soprano to Walter White to Larry David, and do basically the opposite: Treat others with kindness. Greet setbacks with grace. Be curious, not judgmental. “I personally didn’t want to do the arc of son-of-a-bitch to saint,” Sudeikis recalled. “It was like, ‘What about just playing a good guy?’”

The was, therefore, meant to be a sort-of antidote to “a society that increasingly indulges and rewards humanity’s worst impulses.” Many fans of the show would argue that it worked in this framing: the “vibe” of Ted Lasso was about being and doing good — forgiveness, curiosity, non-judgemental, and more. The bad vibes of society predated the pandemic (for example, President Trump and everything he unleashed in America). Brett Goldstein, a writer on the show, and newly-minted superstar thanks to his superb portrayal of Roy Kent, told Egner: “It’s mad that this was normal, people being fucking horrible to each other… It felt revolutionary to see someone being nice… And it shouldn’t have.”

It’s a story, appropriately enough, of teamwork, of hidden talent, of a group of friends looking around at the world’s increasingly nasty discourse and deciding that, as corny as it sounds, maybe simple decency and a few laughs still had the power to bring people together.

Sudeikis clearly thought things in the United States were in moving in a dire direction. After winning a bucketload of awards for season one, he joked about the unlikeliness of the popularity of Ted, the character, on Saturday Night Live:

“I’ve been working on this Apple TV show called Ted Lasso,” he said, to raucous applause. “We somehow became a hit. You know, it’s truly shocking to me, because it’s built around two things Americans hate: soccer and kindness.”

Believe offers plenty for a variety of readers. Anyone who’s already interested in behind-the-scenes accounts will find everything they would want. Fans of the show will find plenty of amusing, interesting tidbits from the production and casting — as well as, perhaps, learn something about the cast. (I haven’t actually read much journalism about the show, nor listened to many podcast-interviews with the cast and crew — so the majority of what’s in Believe was new to me.) It was also interesting, as someone who loves the show, to read someone else’s opinions: Egner clearly loves the show, too, but in some instances in different ways — for example, he thinks Sam Richardson’s Edwin Akufo was hilarious, while I thought he was without a doubt the weakest part of the show. (A shame, because I’ve very much enjoyed much of Richardson’s other work.) A few episodes are selected for greater attention, which was also a good addition. (I would have happily read some more chapters like this, but it’s never a given that another person will love the same episodes as the reader, so probably good to keep the number limited.)

Did the show benefit from timing? Most likely. But I hope the show would have been a success and popular without the pandemic. It really was distinct in its tone, its humanity, and its emphasis on teamwork and goodness. The show takes on many important topics — from toxic masculinity, to politics in sports, to female and male friendships, to name but three.

By the end of the book, the show’s positive message has been hammered home, a bit. But it’s also so clearly central to what the show wants to be, and was, for so many people. I think I would have liked a bit more about the cast and crew — other BTS books that I’ve read have spent a bit more time introducing us to the actors who take on the roles of beloved characters: how did they get the part, where were they before, how they approached their characters, and so forth. For some, it had to be short; Toheeb Jimoh (Sam Obisanya), for example, was very recently graduated from drama school. I understand the author’s decision to focus how he has, but I think it would have been nice to have a bit more. Not all characters are given much ink, too, which was surprising — no doubt a result of who was and was not available to participate, but also a desire to make sure the book doesn’t outstay its welcome (a not-uncommon weakness of many oral histories, in my opinion).

Ultimately, Believe is a must-read for all fans of Ted Lasso. Informative, amusing, and engaging throughout. Definitely recommended.

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Jeremy Egner’s Believe is due to be published by Dutton Books in North America and in the UK, on November 12th.

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Review copy received via Edelweiss