
TV Show review
Review basis: 4 seasons · through May 30, 2023
August 14, 2020 · TV-MA · Returning Series
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
Ted Lasso follows an American college football coach hired to manage a struggling English soccer team despite having zero soccer experience. He wins over cynical players and staff through relentless optimism, kindness, and a "believe" mentality across three seasons of comedy-drama. Season 3 adds more visible storylines around a gay player coming out, a bisexual female character’s romance, a Nigerian player’s racism and immigration experiences, and light critiques of political rhetoric and corporate sponsors.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Ted Lasso.
Woke representation / casting
Diverse international cast (Nigerian, Indian, and other players) fits a real London Premier League team naturally. Season 3 gives prominent, audience-visible arcs to three LGBTQ+ characters (gay player’s coming out and team acceptance, gay journalist, bisexual woman’s romance), adding clear queer emphasis.
Woke political dialogue
Occasional in season 3, including a player criticizing an anti-immigrant politician and exploitative sponsor. No extended lectures or dominant ideological monologues.
Identity-driven story themes
Season 3 centers coming-out stories, homophobia in sports, racism, and immigration alongside mental health. Earlier seasons focus more on universal personal growth; later ones make identity elements more explicit and noticeable.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Shows toxic masculinity and homophobia as personal and team obstacles overcome by support and kindness. Light nods to political rhetoric and corporate issues via character actions, but framed as individual redemption rather than systemic activist critique.
Production
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. Fully original series.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Specific complaints in Unherd (“woke turn” with gay characters, immigration plots, and DEI-style emphasis) and Reddit/user reviews (“woke leftist propaganda,” excessive focus on gay storylines and social issues hurting comedy). Progressive criticism ignored per guidelines.
Creator track record context
Key creators built the show around curiosity, kindness, and mental health as response to polarized times rather than identity activism. Supporting writers and crew show only isolated mild progressive signals with no dominant pattern.