Actor Jason Sudeikis previously stepped into the world of the European Football League in 2013 when he portrayed Ted Lasso. Now he has returned to the role of the inept American football coach who heads to the United Kingdom to run AFC Richmond. The series is not out until Aug. 14, but Apple TV+ has released the official trailer for Ted Lasso.
The official trailer starts Sudeikis’ Lasso heading overseas to take control of the football club while ESPN host Scott Van Pelt talks about the unique strategy. As the trailer shows, Lasso has close to no understanding of football, including the concept of a tie. He also struggles with local phrases and drinks. Specifically, Lasso has no desire to drink tea due to it being “hot, brown water.”
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America’s favorite football coach is crossing the pond. Watch @TedLasso August 14 on Apple TV+. https://t.co/nU3mqQ0Ocu pic.twitter.com/d017M1lXYY
— Apple TV (@AppleTV) July 14, 2020
Sudeikis created Ted Lasso with Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt (Horrible Bosses) and Joe Kelly. Sudeikis and Lawrence also wrote the pilot for the series and continued to work together on the first season, with Sudeikis in the lead role. Ted Lasso also stars Hunt, Hannah Waddingham (How to Lose Friends & Alienate People), Bronson Webb (Game of Thrones), Phil Dunster (Murder on the Orient Express), and Stephen Manas.
This character actually first appeared during special films created by NBC Sports in 2013. The intention was to promote NBC Sports’ coverage of the Premier League. The first video showcased Lasso as he took over Tottenham Hotspur and tried to make the transition from American football to a very different style of football. Lasso didn’t initially know the rules, but he began learning through a series of flashcards. This included comparing Manchester United to the Dallas Cowboys due to their amount of wealth and number of fans and critics.
Lasso’s journey continued in 2014 as he returned home to the United States after being fired. He “parlayed” his coaching career into some on-camera work covering the Premier League. Like his 6.5 hours coaching in the United Kingdom, Lasso struggled to adjust to the live broadcasts and the rules of football. He didn’t understand what certain words meant and could not comprehend the concept of “live television.”
The first three episodes of Ted Lasso hit Apple TV+ on Aug. 14. The remaining seven will air every Friday thereafter to complete the first full season. Each episode will run 30 minutes.
