As I have probably mentioned a few times (if you are a semi-frequent reader or listener of the website), I am an English teacher in the Bronx. My students have to pass a series of state exams in order to graduate from high school. One of them is an English Language Arts exam which contains an essay prompt that asks them to analyze the “central idea” of a text. To the state of New York, “central idea” is the life lesson of a text. It is a childlike way of approaching art.
I say all of this to say that this is what I think of when I think of Ted Lasso. Not only could one easily analyze the “central idea” this show’s episodes, I would say that it almost feels like this show’s purpose IS to give life lessons. It feels like an after-school special that is seeking to spoon-feed ADULTS lessons about the right way to live their lives. Listen, we all need to turn our brains off sometimes and watch some crap. What does it say though that this particular piece of crap because such a hit and awards powerhouse? (Nothing good.) And are there glimpses of something better throughout? (Not really.)
Season 3 – Football is Over
I cannot say I am especially tuned in to Ted Lasso discourse and I certainly do not read any of the vile television recaps that websites churn out, but it seems like the general consensus is that the show had FALLEN OFF in this season. One particular tweet stood out to me. 
I have got some bad news for you. The show was always like this. The only significant issue that this final season of the show had to make it decidedly worse than came before was how there were just so many goddamn super-sized episodes. Ted Lasso was three seasons of baby formula. If this season was actually worse than what came before, it was only marginally so.
2. Season 1 – Football Is Life
Watching the first season of Ted Lasso had me constantly trying to figure what this show was because admittedly it felt like I never had watched anything quite like it. Then finally it hit me. Ted Lasso most reminds me of watching Schitt’s Creek.
Its episodes may be mostly thirty minutes long (ish), and it may win awards for Best Comedy and whatever. But Ted Lasso is not a comedy. It is at best a drama designed for children to understand the problems of adults and designed to assure the children that all of life’s interpersonal difficulties are capable of being solved.
Shows like this and Schitt’s Creek are the offspring of the worst elements of Schur-ism. Shows that are designed to make people “feel good” at the expense of anything else. It is nice-core to the extreme. This debut season of Ted Lasso basically did Major League but as an instagram inspiration. If that sounds as miserable to you as it was for me to experience, just keep in mind that I have this season ranked second.
- Season 2 – Football Is Not Life
It was in the second season that I had another realization about Ted Lasso: it was a not funny version of The Larry Sanders Show. It is a show about people. A show about people trying their best. There is just so little humor mined from it that eventually you realize humor is not the purpose. And then you have no choice but to wonder what is the point of watching this show?
The Reel World 