11 Recent TV Shows That Surprised Everyone

Despite the huge marketing value of their brand, Apple’s streaming service is far from a major player in the ‘streaming wars’, being dwarfed by its competitors in terms of subscriber numbers.

Many would struggle to name any of Apple TV+’s original offerings, despite there being a significant of lowkey masterpieces amongst them such as Servant and Mythic Quest, with the exception of smash hit Ted Lasso, which swept the comedy categories at last year’s Emmys.

The prospect of an entire series based on a character from a marketing campaign that played on America’s general ignorance of football was hardly appealing at first, despite the involvement of Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence as showrunner.

It quickly proved to be the tonic that everybody needed mid-2020, enabling them to momentarily escape from the realities of the pandemic and immerse themselves in the hilarious and heart-warming tribulations of AFC Richmond.

Jason Sudekis is a delight in the title role, elevated by a supporting cast that complement his endless charms. From the sardonic Coach Beard and the foul-mouthed Roy Kent to the unlikely pairing of stern club owner Rebecca and initially stereotypical ‘WAG’ Keely, every performer contributes to a narrative that isn’t afraid to mix subjects like mental health and self-loathing with more typical sitcom subjects such as romance and hijinks.

The football scenes may be a bit iffy, but Ted’s managerial career is one that is hard to not get invested in.