August 21st, 2026
I’ve cried during every episode of Ted Lasso.
Surprisingly, that is not the part of this post that I am ashamed to admit.
One of the main theses of the TV show Ted Lasso is the idea that we can all be better people, but also that we are already of the highest value by virtue of our against-all-odds existence. We can do good; we are already good.
The thing that gets me every time is that it reminds me of why I try so hard.
I am rarely any of these qualities, but I work so hard to be interesting and interested and kind and funny and sharp and helpful because, on the one hand, that is genuinely who I want to be; on the other hand, I need to be those things because there is a part of me that feels like I have fucked up more than any other human being ever, and I have to be those things if I am to be a person deserving of love and attention and friendship.
And the ironic part of this is that I know I am not alone, though I feel like the lone offender.
Every episode of Ted Lasso seems to unravel this feeling in me, in a really healthy and healing way. The characters treat each other like humans should and, when they don’t, they figure it out with honesty and dignity, and then love each other anyway.
Anyway. This sounds like a weird pitch for a show and I am so grateful that a group of people got together and made it. We’re living in a world that has found a way to devalue every single part of being human; it’s nice to see something that reflects how valuable every human being truly is.
The Den 