Recent times, and the last year or so especially, have been more than a little trying on us all. And it is in these times that we need warm-hearted, escapist fare to help us feel at least a little bit better. Therefore one could say that Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso has come along at exactly the right moment. Based on a sketch that star and co-creator Jason Sudeikis had made for NBC Sports in 2013, it follows the title character as he is recruited from his job coaching college football in America to lead a struggling Premier League team in the UK, despite knowing absolutely nothing about soccer. His relentless optimism initially turns his detractors off (and he has quite a few), but as time goes on he gradually wins them over. The character’s cheeriness could easily have been off-putting to viewers as well, but between how much Sudeikis is so perfectly fitted to the role and the moments in which he is allowed to break and show that he can hurt just as much as anybody else make it hard not to find yourself rooting for him. There isn’t a single weak link in the rest of the cast, and most are given very satisfying story arcs to follow. If I had one complaint, it would be that for a comedy, there can be surprisingly few jokes. It’s still a funny show, but it felt like it could have been funnier. Despite that however, I found myself eagerly looking forward to being able to watch each episode, and can’t wait for the already-confirmed second season. So much so that I feel I might even rewatch the first. And who can really think of a better metric for a show’s success than that? ★★★★★ – Sean Farrell

AVAILABLE ON APPLE TV+

★★★★★ = Excellent | ★★★★ = Very Good | ★★★ = Good | ★★ = Fair | ★ = Poor