Who is the most popular manager in the Premier League right now? You may answer Pep Guardiola, or choose Klopp, Arteta, Ten Hag...
None of them are right! The answer: Richmond head coach Ted Lasso.
Wait, does the Premier League have this team?
In fact, Richmond does not exist in the real world of the Premier League, and Ted Lasso is the protagonist of the American drama of the same name "Ted Lasso" (translated as "football coach"). The series tells the story of an American college football coach who knows nothing about football and accidentally comes to England to coach AFC Richmond.
Text/Yuze
In the third season of "Football Coach", a new character Zava appears
On Douban, the first two seasons of "Football Coach" scored as high as 8.9 and 8.7. The third season, which is currently on the air, still maintains a high level, stable at 8.9, and the new character Zawa, who was briefly introduced, is domineering, resembles Ibrahimovic in appearance, and has a personality that is more Ibrahimovic than Ibrahimovic, which has triggered explosive discussions on social platforms.
So, what's so much so fascinating about Football Coach?
Football theme, fire out of the circle
The entire story of "Football Coach" is based on a rather absurd setting: Rupert, the owner of the Premier League team AFC Richmond, divorced, and his ownership of the club was awarded to his ex-wife Rebecca. In order to block her ex-husband, the latter hired a football coach with no football background from the United States as a manager, intending to collapse the club.
In the Premier League, to become a manager, you must have a UEFA Pro license, even if Frank Lampard "backdoor to the top", you must at least have an A certificate. A layman who wants to gain a foothold in one of the highest professional leagues in the world is completely whimsical. Therefore, at the beginning of the story, the protagonist who first arrived in England was not less complained about.
But this does not affect people's love for this show. "Football Coach" tells a workplace story set in football in a witty and humorous way.
With all kinds of laughter and scolding between different characters, as the plot deepens, the audience gradually understands and likes many people from the management to the players of this team. Behind the style of happy sand sculptures, warmth is the background of the whole story.
The young-and-famous Jamie Tate was loaned out of Manchester City to underdog Richmond. His heart is higher than the sky, he looks down on other teammates, and he almost ruined his career by various deaths. The styling and part of the experience of the characters is quite a bit of Grealish.
But he seems to be wild and unruly, and there is also the "prodigal son turning back" that everyone loves, and after going around in circles, he expresses his determination to the team: "I want to play football." ”
Tough man Roy Kent was a Chelsea legend who arrived in Richmond late in his career. On the surface, he is a traditional English midfielder who never budges, somewhat of a shadow of Manchester United legend Roy Keane. But Roy also has a delicate side, and he helps his teammates and takes care of his niece in his own way.
Throughout the three-season story, Roy's identity has changed several times, retiring from player to commentator and finally returning to Richmond as an assistant coach. What drives him to make these choices is his love for football.
Nathan Shelley, who was originally introverted, was just a bullied equipment manager. But he loved football, was good at tactics, and after being encouraged, he became more and more courageous to express himself, and eventually became a coach.
There are also two pretty bright female characters in "Football Coach".
Rebecca, Richmond's new boss, originally wanted to take revenge on her ex-husband and collapse the club, but under the exterior of the Ice Queen, she gradually let down her guard and mingled with the employees.
Keely and Rebecca (right)
Kiri initially appears as a "vase", and as the story progresses, the character becomes richer in layers. In a narrative that spanned three seasons, she achieved real growth, becoming a publicist for the club until finally starting her own company.
The core of the story, Ted Lasso, contracts most of the show's laughs and sincerely interprets a beautiful fairy tale from the world of football.
In and out of the play, Ted Russo
Ted in the plot is the typical protagonist of nonsensical comedy, with puns and crossover tropes flying all over the world, and even being officially complained by other characters: "I can't wait that every sentence is mixed with jokes that only middle-aged men in the middle of the United States can understand." ”
For example, in the first episode, Ted was ridiculed by the group because he didn't know that there was still a draw in football and who Beckham was. For example, until the third season, when the protagonist subconsciously said "football" instead of "soccer", he laughed at himself and finally integrated into this place.
Considering that during last year's World Cup, US President Biden also specifically emphasized that "soccer" is football in the cheering video, you can imagine why Ted feels that this is already a huge improvement.
Quips are constantly just his way of expression, no matter what kind of treatment he is treated or what kind of predicament he is in, Ted is not afraid to continue to release kindness to others and help those around him become a better version of himself.
He told the proud Jamie: "I know you're sure you're a talent out of a hundred, but sometimes you forget that you're just one out of 11 on the field. If you can turn 'me' into 'us', you can really bring out your full power. "When Jamie messed everything up and wanted to change his mind but had nowhere to go, it was Ted who reached out for his valuable help.
He deliberately provokes Roy, who has a tough style but is unwilling to take care of other people's affairs, so that the other party really understands how to be a leader. After Roy retired, he saw that the other party still had a deep nostalgia for the stadium and "tricked" him into his coaching staff.
He was ridiculed by the group of journalists, but slowly won respect with various jokes. He was used as a gun by the female boss, but continued to send a cookie every day to bring her closer to the people around her. He is not the chosen male protagonist who can win the championship by playing chicken blood, and although at the end of the first season, the team was demoted, but Ted was loved by everyone.
And all this happened when his family fell apart and he was betrayed by those around him several times.
Many review articles have said that it has been too long since there has been such a comedy character who can make everyone laugh and then cry along. What makes Ted so deeply rooted in people's hearts, in addition to the powerful writing of the script, actor Jason Sudaisis's incomparably natural acting skills also played a huge role.
Outside the play, Jason won the highest award in American television for 2 consecutive years - Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Category.
Born in 1975, Jason Sudaisis is from Fairfax County, northern Virginia, United States. He once entered a community college with a basketball scholarship, but chose to drop out because he did not meet his academic standards. In his 20s, Jason began experimenting with improv comedy, and initially performed in small theaters with sports.
In 2003, Jason auditioned for NBC's longevity comedy Saturday Night Live (SNL) to become a screenwriter. But he was not satisfied with just writing and not acting, and after two years of fighting, Jason became a resident actor on SNL.
Jason plays Biden in SNL
Over the next eight years, he played many classic roles on SNL, including Biden, and also starred in some comedy movies, including twice with Jennifer Aniston ("Friends" actress), and even scandals. And he maintains the same style of painting in and out of the play: "I want to use optimism and happiness to fight all indifference, selfishness and cynicism." ”
But over time, Jason began to feel disgusted by the annoying roles he had been playing, and even affected his otherwise happy marriage. A long separation and personality changes made his wife finally choose to leave.
In 2013, he retired from SNL to focus on his personal career. Some time later, he and Hollywood actress Olivia Wilde came together. At the same time, another "man" who changed Jason's fate appeared: Ted Lasso.
Ted Lasso commercial
In NBC's commercial for the promotion of the Premier League in the United States, Jason played Ted Lasso as a rugby coach to coach Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City respectively. The ad uses a series of American hilarious explanations of football that Americans don't know, such as "Wales and England are two countries in the football world" and "Manchester United is the Dallas cowboys, and Manchester City is Jennifer Lawrence, she is getting hotter." ”
Surprisingly, the ad was well received. So, Olivia encouraged Jason to dig further into the role. One day at a dinner, the two outlined Ted's motivation for going to the Premier League: "Maybe he has a marital conflict and the situation at home is not very good, so he needs space. ”
Ironically, Ted accepts the reality of divorce at the end of the first season, and around the same time the film airs, the relationship between Jason and Olivia comes to an end.
Jason and Olivia Wilde's relationship breaks down
It is not uncommon for creators to incorporate their personal experiences into the script. But reality like "Jason & Ted" follows the plot, even if it is very rare in the entire entertainment industry.
People were amazed at this coincidence.
During the remote connection of the 2021 American Film and Television Golden Globe Awards (during the epidemic, the awards ceremony was held online), Jason threw aside the brand-sponsored custom suit, chose to wear a hoodie to receive the award, and said that he was "neither excited nor sad" about winning Best Comedy Actor. His performance has raised concerns about his mental condition.
However, after a short break, Jason quickly recovered and re-engaged in the filming of the second season of "Football Coach" with full enthusiasm. The entire film crew was quickly relieved - because, the cheerful Ted Lasso was back.
Beyond comedy, there's more
As the plot developed, Ted's Richmond was first relegated from the Premier League, then returned from the Championship, and in the third season he was in the Premier League again.
It is worth mentioning that in addition to football, the creators have tried to discuss more social issues.
Since the second season, "Football Coach" has gradually focused on the mental health of several main characters, and also arranged a psychologist role at the Richmond Club. The series candidly shows the pressure that players are under, and also mentions the struggles of ordinary people in the workplace and family environment. Before the start of the new season of the series, the starring team was also invited to the White House to meet with the president.
No one could have imagined that Jason, who once played an ugly Biden image on SNL, would really have a good day with the president himself.
At the same time, the series' discussion of LGBT topics in the players' locker room has also received positive reviews from the media. As the popularity increased, the producers also cooperated with more players, coaches, clubs and retired celebrities, and also added more football memes to the plot.
For example, when the tough guy Roy retired to become a commentator, he received a gift from Carragher: "We wanted to kick each other to death when we played, and now you actually send me flowers?!" ”
For example, when Richmond met Tottenham, Ian Wright, a commentator on TV, said in a pre-match preview: "Although I really don't want to say that, Tottenham have been really strong in recent years. ”
In one episode, Richmond is bloodied by Manchester City, and the frustrated assistant takes three die-hard fans to embark on a crazy night of self-indulgence. Under the influence of alcohol, wherever the teaching assistant went, Henry and Lineker seemed to be next to him while explaining and complaining.
The last stop on the journey for the three fans was that the assistant coach arranged a path for them to sneak into the center of the home team's pitch.
They laughed and ran wildly, shouting "more fantastic than all previous experiences", and the soundtrack sounded "We Are the Champions" at the right time... What it's like, every fan knows.
If you're a fan, it's easier for you to understand the emotions of the people in the show.
If you're just a fan of the show, the warmth in your relationships is enough to touch your heart.
And if you like both football and drama, "Football Coach" is the best relaxation for you to watch football and life. Laugh with them, cry together, and leave warmth and satisfaction.
There is a lot of news that the third season, which is currently airing, is likely to be the final season of the show. The story of Ted Lasso may be an adult version of an urban fairy tale, but Richmond is unlikely to recreate the magic of Leicester City. They are just a small fictional team, constantly knocked down by reality and then laughing and standing up.
For everyone who loves this show, it's enough.
Go Richmond！
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