3 Things Ted Lasso Can Teach You About Making TV & Film

For episode 127 we’re mining great advice from an unlikely place…the new Apple TV series Ted Lasso. What on earth does a fish-out-of-water sports sitcom have to do with making unscripted film and television? Quite a lot, actually! We’ve been inspired by this show, and we’re using the great advice delivered by the unsinkable, everyman coach at its center to reveal truths about working in the entertainment industry. In a time when we can all use a pick me up, this show fits the bill. Get ready for some uplifting advice about showbiz you never thought you’d get from a fictional football coach. And remember…”be the goldfish.” Ted Lasso? You’re probably wondering what the heck a sports sitcom about an American football coach in England has to do with the Producing Unscripted blog and podcast. Ted Lasso, which has been praised by numerous critics including the Hollywood Reporter, was a huge surprise for us. If you have Apple TV or are thinking about getting it, this show is pretty darn wonderful. And today, we’re using it to highlight important truths and poignant advice for working in the entertainment industry. If you don’t know much about the show, Ted Lasso stars Jason Sudeikis as an uber-optimistic college football coach who is tapped to take over coaching of a flailing British football team – that would be known as a “soccer team” to many of you. It of course is completely different from coaching American football, and it’s something Ted Lasso has never done before. On top of that, for various reasons he doesn’t even know about, he’s set up to fail. The surprise Apple hit actually started out as an NBC Sports comedy sketch over five years ago. Impressively. with the help of Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence, the show is deeply layered and far better than most people could’ve imagined. The journey of how Ted Lasso made that transition is pretty interesting. If you haven’t seen anything yet, here’s the trailer: Ted Lesso and Documentary / Unscripted Television? One of the great things about Ted Lasso is the wisdom the titular character drops upon the way. While watching, the two of us couldn’t help but notice how much of it applied to working in showbiz – so much so that it inspired today’s podcast episode. Just some of what we discuss today… * How horseback riding and filmmaking have similar gotchas * The reason feeling comfortable is WAY overrated * Why you might want to “be the goldfish” * Why curiosity is more important than you think – and evaporates at the worst possible time * What tip might help you turn an average story into a great one * How coaching a British football team is actually a lot like being a filmmaker or producer * The new secret TV series we’ll be working on for the next year * And…here’s to hoping our kids go back to school someday! Let’s Make Some TV Together (Remotely, Anyway!) Have a great concept and package for an unscripted TV or film project? Looking to team up with us at our company Joke Productions? Here’s everything you need to know: