Pop Culture Pick: Ted Lasso And Never Have I Ever Find The Joy Again

Two of last year's best shows have returned, and I couldn't be happier...

Image Credit: Apple TV+

Welcome to Pop Culture Pick, a catch-all for subjects I want to highlight outside of the usual weekly Weekend Watch columns. In this edition, I salute the return of two of my favourite feelgood shows from last year. Follow James on Twitter: @jamwhite

Long-time readers (I know you’re out there, I can hear you breathing) will know that I’m a big fan of feelgood TV. I wrote an entire column about it. And though the world has been crawling back towards some semblance of normal – whatever that means – in these last few months, we are certainly not out of the pandemic woods yet. Add to that any number of reasons for people to feel unhappy and depressed and there couldn’t be a better time for two of the most potent joy delivery systems to return to our screens. 

Ted Lasso was a show I didn’t include in my original Cheerful Telly column only by virtue of the fact that it hadn’t premiered yet. The show arrived and became something of a focal point for those seeking charm and happiness in the darker days of lockdowns and protests. I’d heard good things, and put aside my usual resistance to all things football to give it a shot. I’m so thankful I did, as the story of an American Football coach hired (Jason Sudeikis’ Ted) to help (at least on the surface, the subtext would be a spoiler) struggling Premier League football club AFC Richmond. He might not completely succeed, but he’s such a whirlwind of joy that he impacts everyone around him. 

Season 2 pulls off the trick of not only maintaining what worked before but sharing the love. Literally, in this case, broadening the focus from Ted, Rebecca, and a couple of the others to almost the entire main cast. Which is, thankfully, stacked with people who can do the scripts justice. The likes of harried director of communications Leslie Higgins (Jeremy Swift), loyal defender Sam Obisanya (Toheeb Jimoh), and exuberant striker Dani Rojas (Cristo Fernandez) all have fun storylines. But don’t worry if you’re thinking that means little for scowling former player Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein, who can do more with a grumpy grunt than some actors can with a monologue) or team owner Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) to do; they both have solid storylines. Oh, and any time Nick Mohammed’s Assistant Coach Nathan is given his own storylines, he’s a star. 

Also this season, there’s a wonderful episode set at Christmas, which references any number of great rom-com moments (Ted enthuses that he’s a staunch supporter of “rom-communism”) without ever coming across like a greatest hits compilation. 

As with last year, it’s also not unrelentingly light: there are new challenges, not the least in a stern new sports psychologist (Sarah Niles) brought in to help some troubled players, and isn’t as charmed by Ted as everyone else. And, while I won’t go into details, Ted still isn’t completely whole himself. Despite its deep well of fun and heart, the show doesn’t shy away from the darker side of life, even if it is usually deployed as the hit of bitter to make the sweet that much sweeter.

If there is any downside to Ted Lasso at all, it’s that the London locations make me just a little homesick. But the cure for that? More episodes of Ted Lasso!

Image Credit: Netflix

Homesickness is not a concern with Never Have I Ever, given its LA setting, though I will admit to being envious of where some of the characters live. Mostly what this show provides is a funny, fresh feeling look at teenage angst, grief, and dating that comes across as authentic even as it generates laughs.

As I’ve said before, the combination of a dead dad, a strict surviving mother, and a nerdy heroine might not sound like a recipe for comedy, but in the sure hands of Lang Fisher, Mindy Kaling, the writers, cast, and crew, this is cooked to perfection.

It’s ostensibly the story of Devi Vishwakumar, played by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, who is processing her father’s death (she, her mother, and cousin sprinkled his ashes at the end of the first season), and now facing her driven mother’s (Poorna Jagannathan’s Nalini) plan to relocate to India. Oh, and after years of nerdy invisibility, she’s now juggling two boyfriends, former rival Ben (Jaren Lewison) and stud Paxton (Darren Barnet). None of the teens are reduced to stereotypes – even Paxton’s dumb swimming jock attitude is shaded in with different layers.

But the real fun to be found here is Devi’s interactions with her friends and family. Having patched things up with Eleanor (Ramona Young) and Fabiola (Lee Rodriguez), she’s back scheming and chatting with them. And then there’s the narrator – it’s not every show that would choose to have tennis legend John McEnroe giving wry commentary on Devi’s actions, and McEnroe is a weirdly perfect option. 

Season 2 sees Devi coming more into her own, even if she can’t quite handle her newly cool status. Watching her try to figure out life is never less than entertaining, and you also empathise with her. Never Have I Ever has lost none of its appeal and remains a show I heartily recommend if you need a pick me up.

Ted Lasso returns to Apple TV+ with the first episode of Season Two on Friday. New episodes arrive weekly, and the whole of season one is available now. All of the first two seasons of Never Have I Ever are on Netflix now.