From Hannah Waddingham as Rebecca to Brett Goldstein as Roy Kent to Jason Sudeikis as Ted himself, Apple's Ted Lasso is full of great performances.
Whenever a commercial (or a sketch or a short film or something similarly brief) is adapted into a half-hour series, audiences are naturally skeptical of its chances of success. Characters and concepts that were created for short-form content don’t always translate to a long-form medium. But Ted Lasso, adapted from an ad for NBC’s coverage of Premier League games, is the exception that proves the rule.
Thanks to its feel-good tone, razor-sharp writing, and a handful of phenomenal performances by a dedicated cast, Ted Lasso has quickly become one of the most widely acclaimed TV hits in recent memory.
Dani Rojas is an up-and-coming forward from Mexico who joins AFC Richmond in the middle of Ted Lasso’s first season. Played with infectious enthusiasm by Cristo Fernández, Dani is just as unwaveringly positive as Ted himself, frequently chanting his own name and repeating his catchphrase, “Football is life.”
In season 2, Fernández got to explore the character in more depth. After accidentally killing a dog while scoring a goal in the premiere episode, Dani loses his confidence and goes to therapy to get his groove back.
In its second season, Ted Lasso leaned more heavily into exploring the issue of mental health in sports – an issue that seriously needs to be explored – with sports psychologist Dr. Sharon Fieldstone being hired to provide counseling for the players (and, eventually, the coach) of AFC Richmond.
Sarah Niles has given a terrific performance as Dr. Fieldstone, walking the fine line between maintaining a professional distance from her patients and developing a genuine connection with Ted as he opens up to her in counseling sessions.
Phil Dunster managed to do the impossible with the role of Jamie Tartt. After playing him as the most self-centered, obnoxious, uncaring, loud-mouthed jerk imaginable throughout the first season, he managed to achieve redemption and humanize the character in the second.
In season 1, Jamie constantly mocked and undermined Ted’s people-focused coaching style. In season 2, following a humbling appearance on the reality show Lust Conquers All, he returns to Richmond and more readily embraces Ted’s coaching (and tries to make amends with the people closest to him).
Before she played AFC Richmond owner Rebecca Welton in Ted Lasso, Hannah Waddingham’s best-known role was the “shamer” from Game of Thrones. As Rebecca, Waddingham has deftly handled both scenes of falling out of love with an ex-husband and falling in love with a new partner.
Waddingham has had to deal with some challenging emotions in this role, like revealing to Ted that she initially hired him as an act of sabotage and reciting the lyrics of “Never Gonna Give You Up” during a eulogy.
In addition to being Sudeikis’ co-star in the role of Coach Beard, Brendan Hunt is credited as one of the co-creators of the show. Hunt is largely confined to the role of Ted’s deadpan comic foil, but he plays that role spectacularly.
The season 2 episode “Beard After Hours” uses an homage to Martin Scorsese’s underrated comedy After Hours to explore Coach Beard in more depth – and Hunt was up for the challenge of taking the spotlight for an episode.
Right winger Sam Obisanya isn’t featured as prominently as some of the other characters in Ted Lasso, but he has a clear arc. His homesickness has manifested itself as an investment in a Nigerian restaurant, and his feelings of isolation melted away when he fell for Rebecca.
Toheeb Jimoh has made a big impression on audiences with his heartfelt portrayal of this uplifting emotional journey. He also shared a hilarious dynamic with guest star Sam Richardson as a Ghanaian billionaire who wants to sign Sam with his team.
Nate’s arc took a wildly unexpected turn in season 2, and Nick Mohammed handled it spectacularly. In season 1, Nate was introduced as Richmond’s underappreciated equipment manager. Ted inspires Nate to come out of his shell and promotes him to assistant coach.
However, in season 2, as Nate comes out of his shell, still fails to get recognized, and perceives a lack of mentorship from Ted, it turns him into a monster. The finale’s twist ending has set up Nate as a villain for season 3, which will allow Mohammed to explore Nate’s dark side even more.
Keeley Jones was initially introduced as a one-note love interest – a vain supermodel who dates famous footballers – but she was quickly rounded out as one of the most likable characters in the cast as the writers explored her kindness, self-assuredness, and unfaltering ambition.
Juno Temple has masterfully played both the dry comedic line deliveries and the emotional beats in Keeley’s relationships with characters like Roy and Rebecca.
Loosely based on real-life footballer Roy Keane, Roy Kent is introduced as a legendary footballer reaching the end of his career in the role of AFC Richmond’s grizzled, aging captain.
Brett Goldstein has won over fans everywhere with this performance. He nails Roy’s cynical, foul-mouthed, rough-around-the-edges sports persona, but also brings out the heart of gold that this attitude exists to mask.
Jason Sudeikis first played the role of Ted Lasso in a series of commercials for NBC Sports’ Premier League coverage. Based on the premise alone, Ted Lasso could’ve been a one-note series whose culture-clash gags become tired after a couple of episodes. But Sudeikis and co-creators Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt, and Joe Kelly have used the extra screen time in the series to explore the causes and consequences of Ted’s positivity.
Throughout the first two seasons, Sudeikis has brought an expected depth to this character. His counseling sessions have revealed struggles with mental health and childhood traumas, and SNL mainstay Sudeikis has stuck the landing with the more dramatic turns.
