Nate, Coach Lasso and Coach Beard are returning for a second season of Ted Lasso on Apple Plus.
Apple Plus
Ted Lasso, the soccer focused fish-out-of-water show that served as pure comfort TV for many during the long coronavirus pandemic, is returning for a second season on Apple TV Plus. And while previews hint that his AFC Richmond team is struggling once again, it’s hard to resist their coach’s fish-out-of-water charm. Here’s what to know about Ted Lasso season 2.
When will season 2 be released?
Season 2 of Ted Lasso premieres on July 23. You’re going to need to pony up and subscribe to Apple TV Plus to watch it, as it isn’t available on other services. Subscribing is $5 a month (£5, AU$8) or $50 yearly (£36, AU$66).
You may have a free trial subscription to the service if you bought a new Apple device recently. But as we point out in this article, many of those trials are set to expire July 1, weeks before Ted Lasso’s return. And starting July 1, if you buy a new Apple device, you’ll get only three months of free Apple TV Plus service, instead of a full year.)
Sadly, Ted Lasso isn’t available on DVD or Blu-ray, and Apple hasn’t said if it will be released in those home-viewing formats. We get it, they want to sell their service, and this is their biggest way to tempt viewers into subscribing. So if you don’t have Apple TV Plus, maybe convince a subscriber friend to invite you over? Get your invite now and you can catch up on season one before the new episodes start dropping.
Apple TV Plus likely will release the first three episodes on July 23 and then release the others one at a time on Fridays, with a 12-episode season planned.
Meet the coach and crew
NBC introduced Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis), an American football coach who ends up coaching English soccer, in a set of ads for the network’s coverage of the Premier League. The ads were a hit, and the show’s first season premiered on Apple TV Plus in 2020.
(Spoilers ahead for season 1.)
Team owner Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) inherited AFC Richmond from her cheating ex-husband Rupert (Anthony Head). She hired Lasso, a soccer-ignorant American football coach, to try to ruin the team to get back at her ex. But Lasso turned out to be smarter than he looks and managed to win hearts, if not many games. (He also bribes her with tasty homemade biscuits.)
Lasso may seem like an all-American sweetheart, but his own life, including his marriage, isn’t exactly championship caliber. The team drama includes numerous players and their on- and off-pitch dramas, and Ted’s fumbling but charming attempts to get the team and his life back on track. The plot may sound simple, but you have to tune in to appreciate the feel-good charm of this show, which manages to feel both modern and a bit old-fashioned, thanks to Lasso’s sweet soul and the winning cast.
Previews and more about season 2
At the end of season 2, Lasso’s team, AFC Richmond, was relegated from the Premier League to the Championship. (If you’re like Ted and “relegation” confuses you, it’s something American sports don’t do, but imagine if the Yankees got kicked down to the minor leagues.) One of the trailers released for season 2 reveals that the team has eight straight ties, so things aren’t looking too good. So the team brings in a new character, a sports psychologist played by Sarah Niles, and she doesn’t appear as easily bribed by sweets as Rebecca was, telling a horrified Ted she doesn’t eat sugar.
A second trailer came out on June 21, set to the irresistible 1981 David Bowie-Queen hit Under Pressure. Fresh tidbits include a Ted poop joke, Ted mulling that the British version of Dukes of Hazzard would be The Earls of Risk, and Ted turning into his alter ego — table-flipping Led Tasso. (“Led” seems to be an involuntary personality change for Ted, since his pal Coach Beard is able to snap him out of it.) Ted also declares his loyalty to Communism–but no worries, it’s an invention of his own called “Rom-Com-munism,” and seems to take its cues from Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan romantic comedy movies.
And while you’re waiting for the show, you now can shop for Ted Lasso and AFC Richmond jerseys and other items. The site doesn’t sell the shortbread Ted whips up for “Biscuits with the Boss,” but there are plenty of recipes online that attempt to recreate it if you’re curious.
Who’s in the cast?
Jason Sudeikis as Coach Ted Lasso
Hannah Waddingham as Rebecca Welton, the team owner
Brendan Hunt as Coach Beard, Ted’s right-hand man
Nick Mohammed as Nathan Shelley, kit man turned assistant coach
Jeremy Swift as Leslie Higgins, team director
Phil Dunster as egotistical player Jamie Tartt
Brett Goldstein as aging player Roy Kent
Juno Temple as Keeley Jones, Jamie’s ex-girlfriend
Sarah Niles as Sharon, team psychologist for season two
Anthony Head as Rupert Mannion, Rebecca’s cheating ex-husband and former team owner