The hit show Ted Lasso follows American college football coach Ted Lasso as he journeys through his new life as head coach of the English Premier League fictional team AFC Richmond, though he has no prior experience with the sport. 

When Rebecca Welton, owner of AFC Richmond hires Ted Lasso as the team’s newest head coach, the teams’ reveling fans are confused and angered by the hire. Unbeknownst to them, Welton’s hiring of Lasso is rooted in revenge for her ex-husband whose only real love was the football team he once owned. 

While the show is a comedy-drama, Ted Lasso can leave viewers with a changed mindset, providing a unique outlook on life that is often challenging to find during the current landscape of the world. 

One teacher who loves the show very much, Mrs. Kathryn Wolstenholme, shares her thoughts on the series and how she and her husband took their love for the show to another level. 

“I enjoy the nuance of the characters and how the show while, comedy and funny it’ll make you laugh, tackles really tough and meaningful issues, people from family life and relationships, to mental health, to gender dynamics,” Wolstenholme said. 

Ted Lasso takes on the new opportunity with a smile on his face: a unique positive spirit only he can have. Though his knowledge in the sport is more than limited, Lasso’s coaching style is centered around the player’s mentality, not wins and losses.

“Looking at and watching an individual, a fictitious character (Ted Lasso), grow into this new role and tackle a new challenge, it’s kind of hokey to say, but it’s inspiring. And seeing him be really honest about some of his struggles with himself, with his players, with his family and make new relationships and kind of stretch himself a little bit, just witnessing him want to see the good in everyone, while still being realistic,” Wolstenholme said.

As coach of the football team, Lasso faces a whole bunch of characters along the way, each sharing a unique relationship with him. Two of the main supporting characters in the show – Roy Kent, the stone-cold veteran player with a short temper, and Jamie Tartt, the young, up-and-coming star with an ego bigger than Peyton Manning’s forehead: each test Ted’s ability to not only control his team but build a winning franchise. 

Throughout the first season, Ted’s relationships with Rebecca, Roy, and Jamie each grow, develop and even change many times. Ted’s continual lighthearted and sparky personality beams through each character; his one-of-a-kind personality affects the characters differently, but he is hopeful his positive attitude can rub off on the team.

Each character in the show has a distinct personality about them, which can make for beautiful moments of teamwork and success. At times however, these unique personality traits clash and diminish each person’s true potential; these are the moments when Ted is tested the most.

“He is a positive and upbeat person, but he still acknowledges people’s flaws and he really tries to meet his players where they are, wherever that might be. If they’re arrogant and difficult like some, or really struggling because they’re young and far from home like others, just really being there and meeting them where they are,” she said.

Someone who has watched and loved the show, Wolstenholme shares her thoughts on the characters and how she personally relates to them.

“I feel like there are aspects where I want to identify with Ted as a teacher and a coach where I want to be more like that and just try and uplift everyone around me. But I think I definitely identify with Rebecca: and all of her triumphs and struggles and coming into her own,” she said.

She even made note of a unique aspect of the show that stood out to her, one that is often overlooked. 

“I think that also sometimes an overlooked storyline that you have is two really strong female characters in this otherwise very male drama that are really independent of the male characters. They are their own people and they have interesting backgrounds and rich stories that don’t just revolve around their relationships with the male characters,” Wolstenholme said. 

Wolstenholme and her husband took their love for the show to the next level with an idea that was certainly a showstopper. 

“It is a show that is very near and dear to my husband and my heart. And there are two characters that we love maybe most of all, and in some ways, my husband is a lot like Roy Kent: blunt and somewhat abrasive, but with a heart of gold, and a caring, wonderful person underneath his brusque exterior. And we all want to be more like Keeley Jones, an independent woman,” she said. 

From English biscuits in pretty pink boxes, to a warm cup of tea, stuffy British reporters, and constant goldfish references, all the nuances of Ted Lasso will be sure to leave viewers with a big smile on their faces.