Ted Lasso‘s second season has delighted many who have Apple TV, but after a new episode hit the platform on Friday it sparked a lot of conversation about the differences between the show’s first and second seasons. While Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney had plenty to say about one joke in particular, others have been frustrated by the direction the show has gone over the five episodes that have aired thus far. And one criticism in particular drew a response from showrunner Bill Lawrence on Twitter.
Daniel Radosh, a senior writer and producer of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, wrote a long thread arguing that Season 2 of the show has some big central problems. In a series called “How Ted Lasso Lost The Thread,” Radosh argues that the tenor of the show’s second season is different from the first, which has made for difficult watching.
A lot of people still aren't ready to admit it but it's clear that season 2 of Ted Lasso is not good, certainly not as good as S1. And I think the reason is everyone completely misunderstands why everyone loved S1.
— Daniel Radosh (@danielradosh) August 22, 2021
“A lot of people still aren’t ready to admit it but it’s clear that season 2 of Ted Lasso is not good, certainly not as good as S1,” he wrote. “And I think the reason is everyone completely misunderstands why everyone loved S1.”
The long thread lays out the details in full and got people talking about the pace of the show and what may be ahead in the second season.
Eventually Ted Lasso showrunner Lawrence caught wind of the discourse and chimed in. On Sunday morning he wrote “oof” and asked for a bit of patience about what’s coming in the next seven episodes.
I feel like we’ve set up a lot. Maybe you’ll dig where it goes. Maybe not. And look, I watch tv the same way. This just stung more than usual. Not sure why, yet. I’m usually Teflon. Still, no biggie. I just now feel you’re obligated to watch and report back either way. TV!! 😀
— Bill Lawrence (@VDOOZER) August 22, 2021
“Our entire first season was 8 weeks long. We have 7 weeks left,” Lawrence wrote in a pair of tweets. “I feel like we’ve set up a lot. Maybe you’ll dig where it goes. Maybe not.”
Lawrence admitted that the criticism bothered him more than most things he reads online ordinary do.
“And look, I watch tv the same way,” he continued. “This just stung more than usual. Not sure why, yet. I’m usually Teflon. Still, no biggie.”
Lawrence also retweeted another comment on the thread that mentioned the show’s first three episodes of the season were originally meant to come out all at once, which could explain the new season’s slow build. You can’t please everyone with your art, of course, and critiques can be hard to take. But things seemed to end amicably here. We’ll have to just wait and see how the show’s second season finishes.
