One of the most popular streaming series, Ted Lasso: The Richmond Way, of the 21st century arrives in physical form, albeit without any extras.
The Production: 5/5
As dramedies based on promotional material go, Ted Lasso is in a class all its own. Created by Bill Lawrence, Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt and Joe Kelly, Ted Lasso began life as an interstitial amusement, a fictional American football coach who helped promote England’s Premier League on NBC in 2013. Fast forward seven years, and somehow, Lasso jumped from an ad campaign to a full-fledged television show, one which debuted in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and found an enormous, appreciative audience, as well as substantial critical acclaim.
The series — which, for this physical debut on Blu-ray (as well as DVD) has been slightly retitled to Ted Lasso: The Richmond Way — ran for three seasons, concluding in March 2023. The 34-episode series made stars out of much of its cast — Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein, Phil Dunster and Juno Temple, in particular — and helped free Sudeikis from the long shadow of Saturday Night Live, thanks to a revelatory performance as the titular coach.
Given the show’s relative freshness, I’ll avoid major spoilers in talking broadly about the show’s three-season arc, as to prevent anyone who might be discovering Ted Lasso outside the Apple TV+ walled garden for the first time.
Sudeikis stars as the happy-go-lucky coach of the Wichita State Shockers, who is enlisted by wealthy divorcee Rebecca Welton (Waddingham) to take over as head coach of the flailing AFC Richmond soccer team. The basement-dwelling team is populated with a mix of veterans (Goldstein’s profane, grumpy Roy Kent) and flashy young stars (Jamie Tartt, brought to wonderfully obnoxious life by Dunster). With Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt, in a star-making, scene-stealing turn) at his side, Lasso sets out to navigate living in a new country, coaching a new sport and discovering new sides of himself as he goes.
It doesn’t feel too much like overstating things to say that Ted Lasso arrived at a moment when many needed a dose of happiness. The series doesn’t shy away from tough moments and sad situations, but its overriding feeling is one of joy — Lasso’s folksy demeanor and irrepressible optimism felt like an antidote when it arrived on screens. That bonhomie would be evanescent were it not for the work of the cast, writers and directors, who over the course of 34 episodes, offered up surprises, drama and sports-adjacent catharsis which ensure Ted Lasso will take its place among the pantheon of classic American television shows.
As for whether the world will get more Ted Lasso (or a spin-off featuring one of the many, many popular ancillary characters) remains to be seen — although it’s telling that the series is now retroactively applying “The Richmond Way” to these episodes. Given the 13 Emmy awards — including back-to-back outstanding comedy series wins in 2021 and 2022 — it is less a question of if the Lasso-verse will expand, than a question of when it does. Regardless, fans of the series who want to own a physical copy or those curious who were averse to coughing up coin to stream it via Apple TV+ both have reason to celebrate this set’s release.
Video: 4.5/5
3D Rating: NA
Ted Lasso: The Richmond Way streams via Apple TV+ in 4K (2160p), but what’s present on this seven-disc Blu-ray set is capped at a 1080p presentation of the show’s 1.78:1 anamorphic image. In a strictly technical sense, it is a step down from the original broadcast. However, what’s on these discs looks as vibrant and detailed as the 4K stream, even if there’s a bit less detail in the shadows, and elements like clothing, lighting and facial features are a tad less crisp and bright.
All that said, this is a blemish-free presentation and one which should be quite pleasing for fans and newcomers alike. Spreading the series out so that each disc, on average, holds about five episodes allows for a healthy bitrate throughout the three seasons. I’m docking a half-star purely because there’s no discernible reason this show, shot in native 4K, shouldn’t be available on physical 4K disc.
Audio: 4.5/5
Much like the visual presentation, the audio side of the seven-disc Ted Lasso: The Richmond Way set suffers a bit by comparison to its Apple TV+ predecessor — and the decision to jettison Dolby Atmos in favor of a DTS 5.1 track is even more baffling. Still, as with the image, what is here on disc sounds full, nuanced and immersive, surrounding viewers with the roar of the crowd at an AFC Richmond match, as easily as it fills in the chatter of the pub or the soaring opening notes of the series’ theme song, composed by Marcus Mumford and Tom Howe.
Only English subtitles are provided. As with the video, I’m docking a half-star purely because, again, there is no discernible reason this show’s Dolby Atmos soundtrack could not have been ported over to a physical release.
Special Features: 0/5
Perhaps down the line there will be a Ted Lasso release stuffed with commentary tracks, behind-the-scenes featurettes and other extras, but here, the lone supplement is an 18” x 12” “Believe” poster, which is being offered for a limited time. The show itself, it seems, is incentive enough for fans to pick this up.
Overall: 4/5
As dramedies based on promotional material go, Ted Lasso is in a class all its own. Created by Bill Lawrence, Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt and Joe Kelly, Ted Lasso began life as an interstitial amusement, a fictional American football coach who helped promote England’s Premier League on NBC in 2013. Fast forward seven years, and somehow, Lasso jumped from an ad campaign to a full-fledged television show, one which debuted in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and found an enormous, appreciative audience, as well as substantial critical acclaim. Head-scratching video and audio downgrades (from 4K to 1080p, and Dolby Atmos to DTS) and the absence of any supplemental material aside, Ted Lasso: The Richmond Way is sure to please die-hard fans and the curious alike.
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