Shows To Watch If You Love Ted Lasso

If the world can agree on anything, it's that 2020 was rough, to put it mildly. However, out of that dark, dismal year, we were given the most hopeful, wonderful show in Ted Lasso. Developed by star Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt, Joe Kelly, and Bill Lawrence, the show follows Ted Lasso, an American college football coach, who takes a job coaching Premier League team AFC Richmond even though he knows absolutely nothing about soccer — er, football. The character is based on commercials Sudeikis and Hunt did for NBC when they started airing the Premier League games in 2015.

The Golden Globe and SAG Award-nominated Apple TV+ show immediately struck a chord with TV audiences. Even if British football isn't your thing, it's impossible not to fall in love with the series: It radiates positivity. Ted teaches his team, and the show's fans, to believe in themselves and their possibilities. The show is also filled with a vast array of memorable characters: Roy Kent, the man who is here, there, and every-freaking-where, hotshot Jamie Tartt, incredibly endearing Keeley Jones, awesome owner Rebecca Welton, and the dynamic coaching duo of Coach Beard and Nate the Great are all unforgettable. 

If you're already caught up on what is undoubtedly one the best shows of 2020, you're in luck. We're here to take a look at shows that can fill the Ted Lasso-shaped hole in your heart until it comes back.

Way before Ted Lasso was even a glimmer in anyone's eye, co-creator Bill Lawrence was working on Emmy-winning television shows. He wrote for Friends, The Nanny, and even named Topanga on Boy Meets World. In 1995, he created his first sitcom, Spin City, starring the always-perfect Michael J. Fox.

Spin City paved the way for Lawrence's next masterpiece: A quirky show set in a hospital called Scrubs. Much like Ted Lasso, Scrubs won critics and viewers over with its daffy charm. For nine seasons, the show treats viewers to a world filled with positivity and smart humor, relationships that make you believe in love, motivating mentors with huge hearts behind their gruff exteriors, and a group of characters you'd love to call your friends. In short, it has all the elements that make Ted Lasso so wonderful. If you haven't started it halfway through this paragraph, definitely check it out, or start a re-watch of this wonderful show.

Ted Lasso makes us think about the way we treat others and ourselves. In season one, fans are introduced to the mantra, "Be a goldfish." Basically, the phrase symbolizes a philosophy of how to move forward after you've make a mistake. Ted uses it to demonstrate how important it is to be respectful of others, while also believing in yourself. While sitcoms of earlier decades always end with a saccharine-sweet lesson wrap-up, you rarely see modern shows offer a new, optimist way of looking at life. Ted Lasso is a breath of fresh air in this regard.

If you're looking for a show that'll similarly make you take a peek inside your own actions, The Good Place is the one to watch. Over four masterful seasons, the incredibly smart NBC sitcom addresses the afterlife and what it means to be a good person. Lead by stellar performances from Kristen Bell (Eleanor Shellstrop) and Ted Danson (Michael), each cast member brings their own unique approach to the series, creating one of the most layered groups of characters ever seen on television. You spend every episode rooting for them to become better people and, in turn, find yourself wanting to become a better person yourself.

While The Good Place offers actual philosophy lessons, both shows give you a new perspective on how to live and make the world a better place. Janet, play The Good Place. (That'll make sense one you watch it.) 

The Good Place might deal with the literal afterlife, but Mike Schur's other masterpiece, Parks and Recreation, is set in a different type of hell: A department of local government. Yet somehow, this unlikely setting is filled with the most wonderful characters, often sporting hopeful and joyous attitudes. Unless it comes to Gary, or Larry, or was it Gerry? It's unimportant. After a shaky start, the show ran for seven glorious seasons and became one of the most beloved sitcoms of the modern era.

Similarly to Ted Lasso, Parks and Rec's main character is the epitome of positivity. From going on a million first dates on her way to her soulmate, Ben Wyatt, to winning her seat on the city council only to be recalled, Leslie Knope has her ups and downs. Despite it all, she moves forward with a genuine smile on her face and a never-ending supply of love for Pawnee, Indiana.

Also similar to Ted Lasso, Parks and Rec's supporting cast is a group you'd be proud to call your family. From Donna and Tom's "Treat Yo Self" days to Andy and April's go-with-your-gut way of living to Ron's secretly loving nature, every character offers a viewpoint on the way to live your best life. Parks and Rec is truly the embodiment of the power of a team. If you're missing Ted Lasso and the AFC Richmond crew, you should absolutely hang out with the Parks and Rec gang.

Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt, and Joe Kelly began their careers doing improv. Performing with The Second City in Chicago and Boom Chicago in Amsterdam not only allowed them to hone their comedy chops and travel the world, it also introduced them to some other incredibly funny humans. The sheer number of comedic geniuses who have come out of Chicago is astounding: While seeing a show at The Second City, fans of the past might have caught a young Tina Fey or Amy Poehler, or perhaps taken a class from Steve Carell or Stephen Colbert. With roots in places like this, it's easy to see how the Ted Lasso team crossed paths with another improv dynamic duo, Tim Robinson and Sam Richardson.

With the help of executive producers Jason Sudeikis and Joe Kelly, among others, the Michigan natives developed Detroiters, a show about two best friends who work as local advertising executives in Detroit. In an interview with the Detroit Metro Times, the pair explained that they wanted to create a love letter to the city. As Richardson said, "So many TV shows show [Detroit] in this negative light, and we just wanted to show the Detroit that we know. There's so much ruin porn."

Although the Comedy Central show only lasted two seasons, its unique, quirky humor and positive energy are seriously worth a watch. Even if you're not too familiar with Detroit, there's a lot to love about this show.

If you've never seen Kim's Convenience, it may be because you don't live in Canada. However, its move to Netflix has allowed the beloved CBC show to pick up some much-deserved recognition. Adapted from the hit play of the same name, Kim's Convenience is a funny and touching show about a Korean-Canadian family that runs a convenience store in Toronto. The series is led by first-generation immigrant parents, Mr. Sang-il Kim (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee) and Mrs. Yong-mi Kim (Jean Yoon), or "Appa" and "Umma," respectively. The pair have two children, Janet (Andrea Bang), and Jung (Simu Liu), with whom they run the store, 

Kim's Convenience was an immediate hit with critics and fans alike when it premiered in 2016. Creator Ins Choi focused on making a show about representation, not stereotypes, which truly resonates. In an interview with NPR, Paul Sun-Hyung Lee said, "I read the first two scenes, and my heart — it exploded because that was my appa. And I'd never heard him represented that way before — and it was like a key turning in my head, and his voice just started coming out."

The show is witty, warm, and genuinely important. Also, for all you Marvel fans, Kim's Convenience offers a way to check out Simu Liu before seeing him on the big screen as the lead in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

Even though it only ran for two seasons, AMC's Lodge 49 made a big impact on its fans. The comedy-drama is about Dud (Wyatt Russell), an ex-surfer who loses his father and subsequently joins the fraternal Order of the Lynx in an attempt to once again find happiness. Homeless, Dud ends up staying with his sister, Liz (Sonya Cassidy), and thus the journey begins. We meet the other incredibly unique and interesting lodge members and see the grief or loss they're also trying to understand. Beneath its high concept veneer, the show is about believing in something, with an eternal optimist at the helm. Sound familiar?

The uplifting show was met with an avalanche of critical praise. Following the show's cancellation in 2018, however, it failed to find a new home, despite the best efforts of producer Paul Giamatti and creator Jim Gavin. Once you watch those precious two seasons, you'll wish that wasn't true. The world deserves more Lodge 49.

Schitt's Creek's success is well deserved. Even though the sixth and final season aired in 2020, the show made headlines when it swept the comedy category of the 72nd Emmy Awards. Schitt's Creek kept that momentum going in 2021, picking up five Golden Globe nominations and five Screen Actors Guild award nominations. With all the seasons available on Netflix, the show picks up more and more fans daily.

If you're still sleeping on this huge hit, Schitt's Creek is about the Roses, a wealthy family who lose everything and must move to Schitt's Creek, the last remaining piece of their once-vast empire. The Roses are forced to adapt to their new lifestyle and digs in the Rosebud Motel, and end up rebuilding themselves with the help of the people of their quirky new town. Creators and stars Eugene and Dan Levy made a show that is, at its core, about family. The jokes are laugh-out-loud funny, but what makes it so special is its heart. Everyone supports each other. You want every single character to succeed on their journey.

The same way Ted Lasso makes you feel every emotion, Schitt's Creek will have you laughing one moment, and crying, usually happy tears, the next. It's hard not to fall in love with a show that can do that. Plus, Catherine O'Hara gives the performance of a lifetime. If you haven't already, go binge it immediately.

Some people don't like sports. Totally valid: You like what you like. If you're one of those people, it's understandable to recoil when someone suggests you watch a show about sports. But consider this: If someone just said, "Hey, go watch this show about a Premier League soccer team," you'd agree that it's not the best Ted Lasso pitch, because the show is so much more. The same goes for Friday Night Lights. On the surface, it appears to be a drama about a high school football team in Texas. But any fan of the show will tell you it is not about that at all.

Friday Night Lights centers around the rural town of Dillon, TX, and high school football coach Eric Taylor (Kyle Chandler) and his wife Tami (Connie Britton). Though the series often faltered in the ratings, it built a loyal fan base. There's never a dull moment in Friday Night Lights. Episode after episode, the stellar cast takes on topics including racism, income inequality, and drugs. If you need a show you can really sink your teeth into, you've got five seasons to enjoy right here.