‘Ted Lasso’ Is Back, but No Longer an Underdog

The unlikely hit on Apple TV+ begins its second season on July 23. Jason Sudeikis and his creative team tell us how they made it happen.

Jason Sudeikis was taking out the trash last fall when he first learned “Ted Lasso” had found an audience. “Or recycling,” he amended in a recent interview. “It’s probably better for my brand if I say recycling instead.” Whichever it was, that was the first time a person stopped him to say how much he liked the show. Perhaps you had a similar experience — maybe during your own quarantine, some random interaction or a social media post — when somebody said, “You know what? That show based on the old soccer commercials is actually pretty good. Especially right now.”