Pop Culture Friendship: Ted Lasso

The newest installment of Pop Culture Friendship is all about Ted Lasso. Well, Ted and Coach Beard. And Ted and Rebecca. And Rebecca and Keeley. I’m discussing the show and the friendships in the series at my friendship site.

Ted Lasso is such an endearing series with lots of great elements. The storylines, the characters, the cast, the setting—it all spoke to me. I didn’t even mind the sports moments. It is a show about a soccer coach, after all, so it’s not like they could skip all those parts.

Yet, like all good sports shows or movies, the real meat is in the relationships more than the action on the field. There are several good friendship (and romantic) pairings in this show, but the friendship between Ted Lasso and Coach Beard is one of my favorites because of how little their friendship is discussed. We get no history or explanation for their friendship. It just IS. And I love their ease together, often wordless on Coach Beard’s part. The success of this friendship on screen is, of course, kudos to the writers for Ted’s running commentary and to actors Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt.

Ted and Coach Beard are a great example of old friends, and we get Keeley (who I couldn’t stand at first, but then she grew on me) and Rebecca as new friends. They push each other to be better. I’d also argue that Ted and Rebecca form a worthy new friendship example, too.

I can’t say too much more without ruining the story! Just watch this one soon.

Who else is loving Ted Lasso?


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Nina Badzin hosts the podcast Dear Nina: Conversations About Friendship. She's been writing about friendship since 2014, co-leads the writing groups at ModernWell in Minneapolis, and reviews 30+ books a year on her website.

Hi, I'm Nina

HI, I’M NINA BADZIN. I’m a writer fascinated by the dynamics of friendship, and I’ve been answering anonymous advice questions on the topic since 2014. I now also answer them on my podcast, Dear Nina! I’m a creative writing instructor at ModernWell in Minneapolis, a freelance writer and editor, and an avid reader who reviews 50 books a year. Welcome to my site! 

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Hi, I'm Nina

DEAR NINA: Conversations About Friendship is a podcast and newsletter about the ups and downs of adult friendship. I’m the host, Nina Badzin, a Minneapolis-based writer who accepted a position as a friendship advice columnist in 2014 and never stopped. DEAR NINA, the podcast, started in 2021, and has been referenced in The Wall Street JournalThe Washington PostTime Magazine, The GuardianThe Chicago TribuneThe Minneapolis Star Tribune, and elsewhere

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