By Senji Torrey

Public Relations Manager

Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso is back for season two, and if you don’t feel like you are in “00-Heaven [you know, like 007]” right now, then you must be either dead, not a fan of good TV, or have not watched the first season. 

For those no longer with us, the first season of this show follows Ted Lasso, a Kansas-native who is hired to coach football. English football. Throughout the 10 episode series, Lasso teaches his players and friends the power of having fun and the ambiguity of success.

Roy Kent, played by Brett Goldstein, steps into the role of coach during this new season.

Season two begins with a glimpse into Lasso’s more emotional side through the passing of the team’s greyhound mascot. Lasso, played by Jason Sudeikis, shares an anecdote about his own experience with a dog, catching viewers — who were surely expecting a trademark Lasso quip — off guard. This scene sets the tone for the rest of the season; one that deeply examines the often overlooked underbelly of mental health in sports. 

In the same vein of mental health, Lasso’s team AFC Richmond decides to hire a therapist on a short-term basis to help the player’s with their masked internal struggles. Spoiler alert: this new therapist, Doc(tor) Sharon Fieldstone, played by Sarah Niles, is a freakin’ miracle worker. Her office is a revolving door that sees cycles of reserved men coming in one way and confident, self-assured individuals going out the other. 

The only person who doesn’t seem fully on board with Dr. Fieldstone is Lasso himself. Despite his enthusiastic greetings and effort to gain a personal connection with the doctor, these acts seem to serve as a simple courtesy, instead of a genuine Kansas-welcome, for a very skeptical Lasso. He reckons with his past experiences with therapists and learns to forgive the profession, as well as himself, if he isn’t to become a hindrance to the team’s success.

But don’t worry, this season isn’t all emotional trauma and introspection. With a whole line of hilarious new and returning characters, there is no way that you won’t be laughing your stockings off every passing minute.

One such character is Jan Maas, played by David Elsendoorn, whose unwavering candidness will smack a smile, chuckle, and sometimes even a “Daaaaaang!” out of every viewer.

Apart from an array of new characters joining the show, season two makes an effort to focus on a handful of understated and undervalued characters from the first season. The most significant of these spotlights is AFC Richmond coach Nathan Shelley, played by Nick Mohammed, whose irrational insecurity gets deeply examined throughout the season. Whether he is harassing a team water boy, overcompensating to try and seem alpha, or simply being jealous of others for little to no reason, Nate struggles to find the true confidence to be himself rather than fitting the mold of what he thinks others expect him to be. 

Ultimately, this new season is a real banger. If you still need a reason to watch, just know that Ted and the crew won seven Emmys this year. Seven.