The 'Ted Lasso' Hot Take Apocalypse Has Hit Twitter

Ted Lasso, a sitcom about an American football coach (Jason Sudekis) who takes over a fictional Premier League team, was a moderate success for Apple TV in its first season, but a dedicated fan base and word of mouth has elevated the series to the height of success: being the absolute worst topic on Twitter.

Ted Lasso's second season premiered earlier this summer and proved to be a critical darling, scoring an 86 on Metacritic as opposed to the first season's score of 71. Fans on Twitter, however, haven't warmed to the show as strongly. There, some fans have noted a tonal shift away from the joke-heavy first season to a schmaltzier, more sentimental vibe in the second, leading to a toxic combination of fans arguing the show's gotten worse, diehards arguing those fans have moral failures, and everyone else getting sick of hearing about it. As one Twitter user put it, it's become the Steven Universe fandom for adults.

The Ted Lasso backlash had been bubbling on Twitter for some time, but came to a head earlier this week when Twitter user and Daily Show writer Daniel Radosh laid out why he felt Season 2 was worse than Season 1.

Radosh's theory posits that in Season 1, Lasso is an aw-shucksy, folksy fish out of water entering a hostile environment where the organization he's hired to lead doesn't respect him. Players, fans, and the organization's higher-ups don't like or respect him because of his cornball earnestness, but over the course of the season, he wins over people.

"The magic of S1 is in how Ted slowly wins everyone over despite themselves," he writes. "As they discover his hidden depths, people are surprised to find themselves respecting him and then actually liking him. His annoying persona is still objectively annoying, but we are no longer annoyed." Season 2, Radosh posits, features little conflict, as every antagonistic character to Ted is already won over, which in his estimation is a poor recipe for drama or comedy.

The thread is a nuanced, interesting critique contrasting the two seasons. One diehard fan of the series, Carol Blymire, had a nuclear counterpoint:

I think you’re not ready to admit that what really bugs you about @TedLasso is that men go down on women before satisfying their own needs. You hate that women tell men what they want sexually and get it. You feel threatened by confident women. 🎯

— Carol Blymire (@CarolBlymire) August 23, 2021

This astounding accusation became spread widely on Twitter, racking up over 700 quote-tweets in a few hours, and the Ted Lasso take apocalypse began, as people began offering their opinions on the series and the fandom in general.

why does ted lasso specifically make people do this? https://t.co/TepSTIMBE6

— Garbage Ape 🦧 (@GarbageApe) August 24, 2021

When I see Ted Lasso pleasuring a woman pic.twitter.com/SvVxnvazAu

— Will 🦥 Menaker (@willmenaker) August 24, 2021

you guys are really good at ensuring I will not watch Ted Lasso anytime soon

— rachel (@rachelmillman) August 24, 2021

no, the fans on this one were a new level of annoying. I place the blame solely upon their shoulders

— america's lounge singer (@KrangTNelson) August 24, 2021

Sadly, it does not seem like we will be hearing about Ted less so for weeks to come.