Ted Lasso - Masterclass of Show Don't Tell

 Ted Lasso review

Ted Lasso - the three season, multiple Emmy winning, sports-show set in England with a US coach is a masterclass in Show-Don't-Tell writing. 

It is also so evident that even I can spot it  :) 

Take the above clip - the famous Roy Kent interview. If you have not seen it yet, go on and see it. Then read the comments. Then watch the video again and look at the camera close-ups. 

The context is simple - the captain of their team was given a red card earlier in the game because he went and argued with one of the spectators who had heckled him earlier. Now, Roy has been sent to give the post match press conference where he is asked this as the first question.  Roy's character is shown to be terrible in people interactions and in general avoids such questions. So, for him to be a coach, he has to learn this skill and put himself out there. This arc has been going on and as you can see in the scene, he volunteers to take this conference. 

In the press conference, this is the first question that is asked and he starts off like in his typical mode to swear and belittle the interviewer. But, the reporter follows through and asks the reason for such an action. Roy smirks, but then he realizes that it is not enough and there needs to be a decent answer here. Because the answer is simple  - it is none of his business. But that is the 'tell' without the 'show'. How do you 'show' something here?  Pause for a moment and think how would you explain 'none of your business' ? It is damn difficult. 

This is where Ted Lasso is a masterclass in writing. Roy sits straight and then pushes himself back, this is to get support and be comfortable, and then he gives a story to contextualize the answer. The story is the 'show', it has got nothing to do with the current incident except that it provides an analogy for folks to understand. The camera work is brilliant and when you have good actors, their expressions, act as subtle hints to land the story. See Rebecca, Keeley and the press-woman's closeups. They are there for a reason.  

This technique is used many times in the series. 

(Big Spoilter alert) Or this one where all Coach Beard wants to communicate to Nate is - I forgive you. But, see how he says it - 

Ted Lasso is not perfect. There are many things that do not go well. In Season 3, the Zava character was just bad. Total Football strategy in mid-season is fairy-tale impractical. Season 2 had those Christmas episode or Beard after hrs that just fell out of place. 

But, there are just many many things that work here. The whole show's constant banter on pop-culture. Example - Rupert Mannion says that he had dinner with friends and calls them the Slacklers (the Purdue Pharma guys) - it is just one way of building context that Rupert is pure evil . Onkly few people caught it but when you do, it is just pure class. And there are many. 

The other awesome bit about Ted Lasso is the use of puns - and they are just amazing. 

Example - 

Or this one -  I loved Once so much that I saw it twice  and more . There is so much here that there are groups called lassoism.com and TedLassoIsLife  

Ted Lasso personifies the American culture that I love. It it the Stephen Colbert of the Comedy Show Central, the Steve Carell correspondent in the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. It is a light hearted show about some serious topics but done in a goofy manner that just lightens your heart. If shows gives you feelings then this is a show that just goes straight to the heart. Not heart warming but heart gratifying, heart soothing. I end this with perhaps is the best scene of the show -