Is ‘Ted Lasso’ a True Story? The Inspiration Behind Jason Sudeikis’ Character

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Ted Lasso

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Even before Apple TV+ Original sports comedy-drama series Ted Lasso made history by earning 20 nominations for the 2021 Primetime Emmy Awards, people were going wild for the series and its amazing ensemble cast led by lovable fish out of water Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis), American Division II football coach turned professional soccer coach in England. Just like the characters in the show, we can’t help but love Lasso despite (or because of?) his ever-positive attitude, total lack of soccer knowledge or experience, and penchant for making social and cultural faux-pas in his new British home.

But is Ted Lasso a true story, and is the titular coach based on a real person? We’re here to help answer your burning questions so you can score all of the behind-the-scenes details and facts of your favorite new show.


In short, no, Ted Lasso is sadly not a true story. The show comes from the incredible minds of Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt (who also plays Ted’s assistant coach, Beard, on the show), Joe Kelly, and Bill Lawrence, who saw great promise and humor in the Lasso character.

Ted Lasso has actually existed as a character for almost a decade, beginning with his 2013 inception for the sake of several commercials for NBC Sports that were meant to promote the channel’s coverage of the English Premier League. In the commercials Ted Lasso (who was still portrayed by Sudeikis even at that early stage) was depicted as the head coach for London’s Tottenham Hotspur F.C. and that marked the beginning of the character that has since been further developed and surrounded by colorful characters to become the Apple TV+ Coach Ted we know and love today.


Even though Ted Lasso isn’t based on a true story, that doesn’t mean that Sudeikis’ Ted Lasso character just came out of thin air. The AFC Richmond coach is actually partially inspired by several different people, including Liverpool F.C. coach Jürgen Klopp, Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola, some other famous sports coaches in history, and even Sudeikis’ own high school basketball coach Donnie Campbell. The story and characters were further impacted by the real sports team and life experiences of the Ted Lasso writing team, which have clearly helped immensely to create a well-rounded and diverse cast of characters and compelling situations and drama. So while Ted Lesso isn’t exactly based on a true story, it does have plenty of real-life influences that have helped to make it the delightful and adored series it is today.

Watch Ted Lasso on Apple TV+