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Ted Lasso (Apple Tv+, Jason Sudekis)

Started by Small Man Big Horse, August 14, 2020, 09:20:28 PM

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Small Man Big Horse

This has a vaguely similar premise to the BBC's The First Team as its main character is an American who joins a premier league football team, but with two differences, a) Jason Sudekis plays a manager rather than a player, and b) it's not a tedious pile of shite that seems to think watching a bunch of blokes being bullied is hilarious. It's also a lot goofier than the BBC's effort and all the better for it, and though I've only seen one of the three episodes so far released I've high hopes that it could be a very fun, charming affair.

Famous Mortimer

I think it's a character he did for some ads for a sport channel over here that picked up Premiership football, a few years ago. But good news.

Small Man Big Horse

Quote from: Famous Mortimer on August 14, 2020, 09:53:09 PM
I think it's a character he did for some ads for a sport channel over here that picked up Premiership football, a few years ago. But good news.

It is, yeah, I watched a couple of them before watching the first episode and it is largely similar, but they've softened the character a little, and made him a bit dafter.

olliebean

Sorry, I'm having difficulty understanding how it can be about football and not be a tedious pile of shite.

cacciaguida

Will surely not be as funny as this real documentary about an american football coach who takes over then league 1's Chester City

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVWTEOYvY6w

And the accompanying Quickly Kevin podcast episode is a true delight, and works on its own without watching the source material.

Genuinely hilarious

https://play.acast.com/s/quicklykevin/tomcraineonchestercity-anamericandream

Small Man Big Horse

Quote from: olliebean on August 14, 2020, 10:29:22 PM
Sorry, I'm having difficulty understanding how it can be about football and not be a tedious pile of shite.

Well the first episode is a goofy fish out of water comedy where someone is hired to do a job he's meant to fail at, and the football part is a very minor aspect. I doubt that'll always be the case, but it's reason enough to give it a shot, plus it's a very rare occasion where Juno Temple has her clothes on, somewhat shockingly.

veletision

Liked the ad from a few years ago so gave it a shot but i thought it was awful.

Yeah, I couldn't get into it and I like Jason Sudekis - seemed very low on laughs.

Also James Lance's hair.

Mobius

The first episode wasn't very funny but it was quite nice. The main character is very likeable so that helps. Not really bothered about any of the other characters though.

BeardFaceMan

I have to say I'm really enjoying this, I thought Lasso's relentless optimism would get grating but I'm really enjoying the character. After seeing Nick Mohammed do his Mr Swallow a few times and thinking he was absolutely fucking awful, he's also suprised me by being really good in this. Glad to see it's getting a 2nd season.

The Mollusk

I've not managed to cop this yet but the ad that relentlessly comes up when I'm watching All 4 make it look like a fucking dreadful goofball (not football) comedy with loads of emphasis on a handful of really weak jokes. I had a look at some reviews and a lot of people said it was really warm-hearted and sweet and positive, so I would imagine that once again the trailer has done a huge disservice.

Quote from: Better Midlands on August 16, 2020, 10:46:19 AM
Yeah, I couldn't get into it and I like Jason Sudekis - seemed very low on laughs.

I've tried raising this discussion a couple of times here before: I don't think something has to be big on laughs in order to be a successful comedy.

phantom_power

It is really good-natured and sweet. It is also funny. There are a lot of gags and the hit rate is pretty high. It was created by Bill Lawrence who also created Scrubs so it was unlikely to be a dramedy or something. You can see exactly where it is heading but that doesn't make the journey any less fun, and it even has the time to show things that aren't usually mentioned in other shows, like marriages that just end because a spark has gone, not because of betrayal infidelity or one party being "bad"

ASFTSN

Quote from: The Mollusk on September 13, 2020, 08:18:32 PM
I've not managed to cop this yet but the ad that relentlessly comes up when I'm watching All 4 make it look like a fucking dreadful goofball (not football) comedy with loads of emphasis on a handful of really weak jokes.

Even if this is the best piece of comedy ever devised by humankind I will never ever watch it because of those fucking ads popping up every few seconds.

The Mollusk

I don't know how the people in charge of advertising manage to miss the mark quite so spectacularly as they so frequently do. I get that the show is primarily a comedy and you want to push the funny stuff but it is legitimately a gross insult to the craft that it can be reduced to an ad which crams together all the goofy shit that is not only completely misrepresentative of the vibe of the show, it also manages to trash the jokes it features by cramming them all together in a way that ... I dunno, what's the opposite of a whole being more than the sum of its parts? I'm sure the gags in the trailer are probably a lot more pleasant and chucklesome in the context of the episodes, but here they make it look like the worst Will Ferrell film ever conceived.

Here is the trailer in question, although the version I keep seeing is condensed down to about 30 seconds of all the most wacky bits:

https://youtu.be/3u7EIiohs6U

Small Man Big Horse

Quote from: The Mollusk on September 14, 2020, 09:11:35 AM
I don't know how the people in charge of advertising manage to miss the mark quite so spectacularly as they so frequently do. I get that the show is primarily a comedy and you want to push the funny stuff but it is legitimately a gross insult to the craft that it can be reduced to an ad which crams together all the goofy shit that is not only completely misrepresentative of the vibe of the show, it also manages to trash the jokes it features by cramming them all together in a way that ... I dunno, what's the opposite of a whole being more than the sum of its parts? I'm sure the gags in the trailer are probably a lot more pleasant and chucklesome in the context of the episodes, but here they make it look like the worst Will Ferrell film ever conceived.

Here is the trailer in question, although the version I keep seeing is condensed down to about 30 seconds of all the most wacky bits:

https://youtu.be/3u7EIiohs6U

Yeah, that's a loud and very annoying trailer and doesn't capture the central character's innate warmth and sweetness at all.

Quote from: phantom_power on September 14, 2020, 08:27:33 AM
It is really good-natured and sweet. It is also funny. There are a lot of gags and the hit rate is pretty high. It was created by Bill Lawrence who also created Scrubs so it was unlikely to be a dramedy or something. You can see exactly where it is heading but that doesn't make the journey any less fun, and it even has the time to show things that aren't usually mentioned in other shows, like marriages that just end because a spark has gone, not because of betrayal infidelity or one party being "bad"

That sums up why I'm so fond of it perfectly, and the fact that it's such a good-natured show really appeals right now in these bleak old times.

cliggg

I like it. It's just feelgood and that's ok by me. I find it amusing rather than laugh out loud funny but that's ok by me too. Some of the acting is a bit shit, especially the "Roy Keane" footballer man but Jason Sudekis more than makes up for that. I also think Hannah Waddingham is a fucking gorgeous woman and want her to be in it more. And preferably nude.

Small Man Big Horse

I do wonder if it's the feel good nature that makes me like it so, as that's something I desperately need during these horribly cunty times and it's really delivering on that front. But I hope I'd like it in a less miserable era too, certainly bits like episode 6's
Spoiler alert
"Nate: Is he alright? / Beard: "No-o-o-o."
[close]
would surely be funny at any point in time.

BeardFaceMan

I'll be honest, if I knew about the character beforehand and how optimistic he is and the good natured vibe of the show and all that, I probably wouldn't have watched it as that kind of thing really isn't my bag, baby. But I'm glad I did start watching it because it's just a funny show with likeable characters. They have a 3 series arc planned for this show, they've already been recommissioned for a 2nd series so let's hope this is one of those rare shows that's funny, has a story with an ending and doesn't get cut off before it has a chance to finish up. Lovely grub.

dead-ced-dead

Like the consensus of the rest of this thread, this is a pleasant surprise. Quite a gentle, easy-to-watch show.

phantom_power

Juno Temple does a mean English accent as well, which makes sense as I since found out she was brought up here. So that made me wonder if she was doing an American accent in all those other things and her accent is really English, or vice versa?

The Roy Keane character is played by Brett Goldstein, who I have never been sure of but I have warmed to him. He is some sort of producer and script adviser on the show as well I think


NoSleep

Quote from: olliebean on August 14, 2020, 10:29:22 PM
Sorry, I'm having difficulty understanding how it can be about football and not be a tedious pile of shite.

Sudekis was previously in Eastbound & Down, which was about a baseball player, but had little to do with baseball (even the bits that were about baseball), so there's a precedent.

phantom_power

Lasso himself knows nothing about football. It is more about team spirit and being the best you can be. But it isn't as wanky as that makes it sound.

The Mollusk

I'm not sure if olliebean was being facetious or not but it did sound a little overly dismissive. Despite not having seen this yet, I'd agree with the above thoughts in the broader sense of a whole being either greater than the sum of its parts or at least rewarding in a more open-minded and emotionally connective way. I just watched the Japanese anime Ping Pong: The Animation and despite knowing fuck all about table tennis with very little prior interest in the sport, I found it absolutely riveting and the most impassioned animated show I've seen since Bojack Horseman.

olliebean

When it comes to my interest in the subject of football, it is not possible to be overly dismissive.

The Mollusk


dead-ced-dead

It struck me while watching episode 9 that Ted Lasso (the character, not the show) succeeds in the way that Ricky Gervais' Derek and After Life fail. Ted is a guy who is genuinely sweet and kind, naive but not a fool and the cynicism of the other characters corrode around his charm.

Gervais TELLS US his shows promote kindness but are really mean spirited. Ted Lasso has characters in it who are cruel but Ted's Superman/Mr. Rogers/Jimmy Stewart-ness is handled so sincerely and it's absolutely to the show's credit.

phantom_power

Yeah I was going to make a Gervais reference in one of my previous posts in this thread but forgot. While his shows are full of meanspiritedness with the kindness aspect almost acting as an ethical makeweight, Lasso seems to come from a genuinely good place, where you can even see goodness in the arseholes, or at least what made them arseholes. There is an empathy wholly missing from Derek, After Life etc.

dr beat

Quote from: cacciaguida on August 15, 2020, 12:23:24 AM
Will surely not be as funny as this real documentary about an american football coach who takes over then league 1's Chester City

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVWTEOYvY6w

And the accompanying Quickly Kevin podcast episode is a true delight, and works on its own without watching the source material.

Genuinely hilarious

https://play.acast.com/s/quicklykevin/tomcraineonchestercity-anamericandream

I had a look at Terry Smith's wikipedia page, and it looks like he's written a lot of it himself.

dr beat

Just started listening to the podcast and while they've mentioned the wikipedia, they missed a massive open goal (a bit like Chester City in fact) in overlooking the fact that Terry Smith is the absolute spit of Terry Nutkins. 

Things got *much* worse for Chester after Smith left, and as a Widnes Rugby League fan, we didn't just share their pain we caught the whole virus:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Vaughan_Sr.





kidsick5000

It's been one of the best shows of 2020.
A must on Friday nights.

Which is astounding given the ingredients of this mostly spell disaster.
Yet it quickly won me over.

I'm still perplexed by Apple's apparent lack of need to promote their shows, but oh well.

I'm sure they will be seminars and team-building exercises based on the Lasso Method.

Lovely to see Anthony Head playing the villain again.

It's a gem of a series.