On the sixth day of Gheorghe-mas, Big Gheorghe gave to me:
Six Top Episodes of Ted Lasso
Three Gheorghemas Gifts to Give Yourself
Two Stones of Weight Loss (Your Mileage May Vary)
and Running Gags with Quatro Kitties
This is a Shlara joint.
There's been some Ted talk on GTB over the last year. I arrived to the show late, due to some intense family care needs over the last few years. And for most of 2021, I'd hear "You haven't watched this show yet??? You, of all people, would love it. You need to watch it."
Started season one in September, and have watched both seasons at least three times since then. So, yes, they were correct. I dig this show. I'm not an EPL follower, but I now need to find the real life equivalent of AFC Richmond, and get on that bandwagon because I love this show.
There are 3 TV shows where I would enter a portal into that fictional TV-show-land to hang out, if that option was available to me: Cheers, Friday Night Lights, and Ted Lasso. We're apparently only getting 3 seasons of Ted Lasso, and that's not enough for me. As I noted already, I'd like to take a break from my life and live inside Ted Lasso world for a little while.
Why? Good messages ("Be curious, not judgmental"), good writing (“Boy, I love meeting people’s moms. It’s like reading an instruction manual as to why they’re nuts.”), good characters (Roy Fucking Kent), good music (see iTunes playlists). Great stories, amazing cultural references. At times it feels like the show is in my head and was written expressly for me*. But then, there are millions of people around the world who feel the same connection to this show, so they really are tapping into to some universal truths and experiences here.
If you haven't watched this show yet, clear some time in your holiday calendar to dive in. And, if you have spent some time with Ted, Coach Beard, #BossBitch Rebecca and AFC Richmond, I'd love to hear which shows and characters resonated with you. Here are my six favorite episodes, in chronological order:
Two Aces (S1, E6): The first time I watched this episode, I said out loud "OMG, that's Allen Iverson. He's quoting AI." Apparently Sudeikis is a serious basketball fan, and understood the whole backstory to bring AI into this storyline at this point in the show.
Diamond Dogs (S1, E8): The camaraderie and support amongst the Diamond Dogs will be familiar to the Gheorghies. But, this episode is where we get to meet Keeley Jones, Independent Woman. She's a force. And she's fabulous. Also, the Keeley/Rebecca relationship is one of the best things on this show.
The Hope that Kills You (S1, E10): He's here, he's there, he's every fucking-where. Roy Kent, Roy Kent. I've watched this episode 5 times and cry every time during Ted's locker room speech at the end.
Carol of the Bells (S2, E4): It's a "bottle" episode (I got that from my high brow pop culture podcasts) and a Christmas episode that has the most delightful "friends as family" holiday dinner. Plus an homage to Love Actually.
Rainbow (S2, E5): This is a love letter to classic rom-com dialogue. It's basically written for me and Mindy Kaling. And I'm sure you'll like it too because Roy Kent. Trust me.
Man City (S2, E8): You'll laugh, you'll cry, it's better than Cats. Seriously, one of the best episodes of the show across both seasons.
Honorable Mention: For you VEEP watchers, Richard Splett shows up in S2 E11&12 as a completely different character and has an epic scene in E12.
*I know it's not written for me, but I have a legit kinship with Ted: one of the show runners is a W&M alum a few years ahead of me, and the Ted Lasso character originated in a series of commercials developed by current employer. It was basically a given that I'd love this show.
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16 comments:
Love this post! Shlara - you and I think alike. FNL is one of my most fav shows ever. My family’s too. And I’m on viewing three of Lasso also. “Biscuits” and “Diamond Dogs” are two of my favs. And Roy F-ing Kent ROCKS! If I could figure out how to use some of his stuff in a sermon, I would. Best show on TV this year and last. Thanks for Gheorghemas y’all. Trying to manage to get through to the 26th, then I get two weeks off.
"he's here, he's there, he's every fucking where, jesus christ the son of god!
i think that would work, donna.
Love it. Can I work for Gh:TB Church?!
Roy Kent is my favorite character on the show for all the obvious reasons. I was hoping for more from Coach Beard's solo night out after the big loss because Beard is a fun character too. I would like to see more from Isaac--where did his barbering skills come from and how did his "only one cut per season" rule come into being?
just had a happy hour for an employee of mine who's retiring at the end of the year. if i have just a fraction of the impact that dude has had on people in my career i'll count myself as blessed. i'm all uplifted in here.
my kidlet got into penn state. so there's a great chance we'll be empty nesters this fall. excite.
happy 27th anniversary to the greatest movie of all time.
I know what film that is!!
Well done, Shlara.
I too love Ted Lasso. I fell in love with it and then stopped after season 1 because I wanted my wife to watch it as well. I knew she'd love it. She hemmed and hawed and never actually decided to watch it until a friend of hers backed me up. We started from the beginning and she, as predicted, fell in love with the show. She was in tears (usually happy) at the end of every episode. We've just restarted it again and have got my parents to watch it as well.
Also, coincidentally enough, I just started rewatching Friday Night Lights this week. I finished the latest season of Narcos: Mexico and needed something for my treadmill time. It's not quite like watching FNL for the first time, but it's close.
you are looking live...at the university of new hampshire in durham, nh. my daughter has a cheer tryout tomorrow, which should end right as 6-9 inches of snow begin to fall. i suppose she'll get to see what a classic new england college town looks like in winter.
I’m about to go see my youngest spawn be The Nutcracker, along with a couple of other roles. Merde to him! Glad it’s Friday after the longest work week I’ve had in years.
awesome, rootsy. save the codpiece. it'll be a great conversation piece at his wedding.
ggreat post-- i agree with all things, especially the "giving space" rainbow episode, except portalling into the worlds. shlara said Cheers, Friday Night Lights, and Ted Lasso . . . i agree with cheers and ted lasso, but we are in the midst of rewatching friday night lights and though we all love the show in my family, there is too much drama in that universe-- you want to replace FNL with detectorists-- which is absolutely the best universe to portal into; lovely, chill, funny, purposeful, and there's hidden treasure (and not so much paralyzation, alcoholism, and shattered dreams).
Shlara is dead on. I was on the early tip with Ted Lasso, and I’ve said the same thing throughout the entirety of my watching it — it’s the show that makes me feel the best a show can actually make me feel.
Cheers is my favorite show of all time. Bar none. Ted Lasso holds up very well against it. I just started watching Friday Night Lights. Life is good. Love you, Shlara. Happy Gheorghemas.
had dinner with my kid this evening. we discussed the relative merits of capitalism versus everything else. she's an avowed anti-capitalist. she doesn't have a better option. but i loved listening to her views on the world, unblemished by the dings and dents it'll throw at her. and the pub had lawson's sip of sunshine, so i honored squeaky's gheorghemas wish.
I dipped back into Cheers early in the pandemic. I watched it with my parents as a kid. It still holds up. Speaking of watching things with parents, the wife and I took the kid to see the new Ghostbusters last Saturday. I watched a ton of movies with my folks growing up. Gonna try to do more of that with mine.
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