When Ted Lasso premiered in 2020 on Apple TV, it shortly turned one of many world’s most beloved exhibits, and regardless of its heartwarming mix of humor, optimism, and depth, there are higher sequence in terms of sports activities as an entire. Whereas Jason Sudeikis’ portrayal of the titular Ted Lasso is splendidly nuanced, the sports activities comedy leans extra into its human components than its sports activities facet.
With critics hailing Ted Lasso as one of many best trendy sports activities comedies from its very starting, the present has earned quite a few awards for its writing, performances, and manufacturing. The themes of empathy, development, and the common language of sports activities have introduced viewers to the present from everywhere in the world, regardless of not at all times having probably the most constant show of the particular sport being performed.
Whereas many aren’t probably coming to Ted Lasso to look at soccer, the most important piece of the puzzle for the sequence is usually working by means of the soccer matches with out having to point out simply their depth or technicality. Matches are hardly ever the concentrate on Ted Lasso, which is by design. The emotional arcs off the sphere drive the present’s artistic selections, however might not work for some viewers.
For followers who crave the adrenaline, stress, and realism of sports activities storytelling, Ted Lasso might go away them wanting extra. Reveals that steadiness sturdy character work with an immersive take a look at sports activities tradition have a tendency to search out their audiences shortly, however might have a wider attain. Fortuitously, TV historical past is stuffed with exhibits which have delved deeper into the world of sports activities than the Apple TV success.
9
All American
The CW
All American, The CW’s long-running sequence based mostly on the lifetime of former NFL participant Spencer Paysinger, follows Spencer James by means of the ups and downs of highschool soccer. Transferring from south LA to an prosperous highschool in Beverly Hills, All American examines race, class, and identification by means of soccer. The sequence will conclude with an eighth and ultimate season in 2026.
Whereas soccer is a large a part of all the pieces about All American, the sequence would not present as a lot of the contact sport as another exhibits that preserve their characters on the sphere. The sequence does use grounded motion photographs throughout video games, however sometimes. Even so, All American’s dedication to the systemic points surrounding soccer pushes it into a totally totally different class than Ted Lasso.
- Launch Date
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October 10, 2018
- Showrunner
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Nkechi Okoro Carroll
- Administrators
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Nkechi Okoro Carroll
- Writers
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Nkechi Okoro Carroll
8
Ballers
HBO
Starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Ballers was HBO’s comedic drama created by Stephen Levinson. The sequence, which ran between 2015 and 2019, noticed Johnson as Spencer Strasmore, a retired NFL participant whose harm sidelined his profession and put him on this planet of monetary administration for different soccer gamers. Hoping to assist different athletes make smarter selections with their cash, the sequence blends humor and realism.
The place Ted Lasso rests on the emotional intelligence of its viewers and leans into mentorship as a serious theme, Ballers explores the results of success by means of a lens of life after athletic fame. The sequence presents viewers an inside take a look at the NFL way of life, which exhibits off totally different sides to these exterior of the fold. Whereas Ted Lasso brings heat, Ballers seems on the actuality of the business.
- Launch Date
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2015 – 2019-00-00
- Community
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HBO Max
- Administrators
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Stephen Levinson
- Writers
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Stephen Levinson
7
Pitch
Fox
Fox’s groundbreaking one-season sequence, Pitch, made historical past in 2016 as the primary community drama centered round a girl taking part in baseball within the MLB. Ginny Baker (Kylie Bunbury) led the sequence because the first-ever feminine pitcher for the San Diego Padres, which got here with its personal set of challenges. Exploring the media scrutiny, locker room politics, and pressures of illustration, Pitch was an emotional experience.
The present’s depiction of gender dynamics, which got here into play with Ginny’s relationships together with her teammates like Mike Lawson (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) and Blip Sanders (Mo McRae), was in-depth and intense. Exhibiting the immense pressures that Ginny was underneath allowed Pitch to dive deeper into what sports activities imply, not simply what they’re. The present’s depth felt far stronger than Ted Lasso’s usually does.
- Launch Date
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2016 – 2017-00-00
- Community
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FOX
- Administrators
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Paris Barclay
- Writers
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Rick Singer, Dan Fogelman
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Chastity Dotson
Janet Baker
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Jimmy Kimmel
Jimmy Kimmel
6
Kingdom
DirecTV
A considerably troublesome to search out sequence, Kingdom aired for 3 seasons on a wide range of totally different networks, most notably DirecTV’s streaming platform. The sequence adopted a family-owned MMA health club with Frank Grillo as Alvey Kulina, the daddy of Jay Kulina (Jonathan Tucker) and Nate Kulina (Nick Jonas), and the coach of Ryan Wheeler (Matt Lauria). The difficult household dynamics of the present are underscored by their intense bodily fights.
Although Kingdom spent lots of time exterior of the ring on the sequence, the depth of their battle sequences is unmatched and the brutal, unflinching honesty surrounding athletics is constant. The place Ted Lasso makes use of light humor to steer into emotional moments, Kingdom packs a literal punch because it strikes by means of the tales of the emotional toll that sports activities usually tackle athletes.
- Launch Date
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2014 – 2016
- Community
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NHK G, NHK BS Premium
- Administrators
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Taiji Kawanishi, Kiyomitsu Sato, Masahiro Takada, Ippei Ichii, Shintaro Itoga, Masato Tamagawa, Norihiko Nagahama, Natsumi Yasue, Harume Kosaka, Yoshinori Odaka, Riki Fukushima, Reiko Nozaki, Masayuki Iimura, Yasuhiro Geshi, Daisuke Tsukushi, Naoki Horiuchi, Shigeki Kawai, Kiyoshi Murayama, Shu Watanabe, Tohru Ishida
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Frank Grillo
Shin Li (voice)
5
GLOW
Netfix
Netflix’s GLOW adopted a rag-tag group of girls within the Nineteen Eighties who turned storied feminine wrestlers. The sequence starred Alison Brie as Ruth Wilder and Betty Gilpin as Debbie Egan, the present combined comedy and drama to discover empowerment, exploitation, and creativity inside the world of sports activities leisure. Watching the Attractive Girls of Wrestling kind makes use of the game as a option to work out character points.
GLOW was in a position to make use of wrestling as a large piece of its storytelling puzzle. Somewhat than the wrestling being within the background of the sequence, GLOW was fast to show each its viewers and its characters concerning the efficiency behind the scenes of the game. The place Ted Lasso is heartwarming, GLOW permits itself to be unapologetically daring and uncooked in its storytelling.
- Launch Date
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2017 – 2019-00-00
- Showrunner
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Liz Flahive
- Administrators
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Liz Flahive
- Writers
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Liz Flahive
4
Profitable Time
HBO
HBO’s Profitable Time: The Rise Of The Lakers Dynasty follows the start of the Nineteen Eighties Lakers, dramatizing the lives of gamers like Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and crew proprietor Jerry Buss. With Quincy Isaiah as Johnson, Solomon Hughes as Abdul-Jabbar, and John C. Reilly as Buss, the sequence is a stylized, high-energy take a look at some of the transformative eras in sports activities historical past.
Whereas Profitable Time, created by Adam McKay, confronted some backlash after its launch, the sequence is among the most intriguing seems on the behind-the-scenes of an iconic period in NBA historical past. Each body immerses the viewer in its story, wanting on the tradition and historical past of basketball. Bringing within the technique and spectacle of the period, the present focuses on messy tales of human greatness.
- Launch Date
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2022 – 2023-00-00
- Community
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HBO Max
- Showrunner
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Max Borenstein
- Administrators
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Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Tanya Hamilton
- Writers
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Max Borenstein, Rodney Barnes
3
Eastbound & Down
HBO
Danny McBride’s HBO sequence, Eastbound & Down, takes a totally totally different method to sports activities than most, positioning itself as a sports activities comedy. Following washed up MLB pitcher Kenny Powers (McBride) as he makes an attempt to reclaim his former glory, the present is a comedy of errors slightly than a show of triumphs. Kenny Powers is the direct reverse of Ted Lasso as a personality, however the present works.
The place Ted Lasso is constructed on heat and optimism, Eastbound & Down thrives on cynical chaos. Regardless of their stark variations, each exhibits angle to make sure that the undercurrent of what is transferring the story ahead is a love for sports activities, a love for the human situation, and the romanticism that may include it. Whereas Eastbound & Down could also be a biting, hilarious critique of ego, it nonetheless presents coronary heart.
2
Cobra Kai
Netflix
A revival of the Karate Child franchise, Cobra Kai brings again Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) lengthy after their teenage rivalry. The Netflix sequence follows the grownup males as they reopen their dojos and discover themselves mentoring an entire new era of fighters. Within the course of, they reignite their outdated feud with an intense want to return out on high.
The place Ted Lasso falters with balancing coronary heart and motion, Cobra Kai is ready to seize the self-discipline and drama in equal measures. The dynamic combating choreography and exploration of mentorship is on the forefront on Cobra Kai, and the humor of the sequence is ready to steadiness out the drama easily. Permitting its heroes to fall as a substitute of idealizing them, Cobra Kai does nice work.
- Launch Date
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2018 – 2025-00-00
- Community
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Netflix, YouTube Premium
- Showrunner
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Jon Hurwitz
- Administrators
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Hayden Schlossberg, Jon Hurwitz, Joel Novoa, Jennifer Celotta, Steven Okay. Tsuchida, Sherwin Shilati, Marielle Woods, Steve Pink, Lin Oeding, Michael Grossman
- Writers
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Josh Heald, Ashley Darnall, Chris Rafferty, Invoice Posley
1
Friday Night time Lights
NBC
Nonetheless probably the most reasonable, emotionally wealthy sports activities exhibits of all time, Friday Night time Lights is a masterclass in what it means to make sports activities tv. Following the fictional city of Dillon, Texas, Friday Night time Lights facilities on Coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) as he works together with his crew within the wake of tragedy. Soccer is the primary character of Friday Night time Lights, and the present by no means forgets it.
Whereas Friday Night time Lights had some troublesome moments that audiences struggled to reckon with all through its run, the present usually made it clear that it was a football-first sequence, which saved issues grounded. In contrast to Ted Lasso, which retains the sports activities secondary, Friday Night time Lights dives deeply into its soccer scenes. The genuine, cinematic soccer moments on Friday Night time Lights are at all times deeply related to the characters’ struggles.
- Launch Date
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2006 – 2011
- Showrunner
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Jason Katims
- Administrators
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Patrick R. Norris, Jonas Pate, Allison Liddi-Brown, Adam Davidson, Dean White, Peter Berg, Seith Mann, Jason Katims, Chris Eyre, Ami Canaan Mann, Charles Stone III, Dan Lerner, Josh Pate, Kyle Chandler, Mark Piznarski
- Writers
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Brent Fletcher
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Kyle Chandler
Eric Taylor
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Connie Britton
Tami Taylor
