When Apple TV first announced Ted Lasso, it seemed destined to fail. The character of Ted Lasso, a bumbling American football coach hopelessly trying to coach an English football team, was initially created as a marketing mascot. Jason Sudeikis originally played Ted in a series of promos for NBC Sports’ coverage of Premier League matches. He’s an advertising tool, so putting him at the center of his own half-hour series seemed like a fool’s errand. But Sudeikis and co-creator Bill Lawrence cleverly used that fish-out-of-water comic premise as a springboard to explore bad dads, ugly divorces, mental health in sports, and the power of an optimistic outlook.
Ted Lasso arrived in 2020, at the height of the COVID lockdowns, and its lovable characters, lighthearted humor, and hopeful worldview were just what the world needed. In humanity’s darkest day, Ted Lasso came along and showed us the light. As with any hit comedy, Ted Lasso lives and dies by the strength of its characters. Audiences keep coming back to a great show like Ted Lasso because they love spending time with its ensemble of colorful characters. From confident queen Rebecca to meanie with a heart of gold Roy Kent, these are Ted Lasso’s most iconic characters.
10 Leslie Higgins
Leslie Higgins smiling in Rebecca's office on Ted Lasso.
Leslie Higgins smiling in Rebecca's office on Ted Lasso.
Higgins is the ultimate right-hand man to Rebecca, and more broadly, he brings a very specific kind of energy to the show. Higgins is a warm, unproblematic presence in the ensemble. He’s full of valuable wisdom, and even delivers some of the most useful life lessons in the whole series, like his touching monologue about accepting people for who they are instead of lamenting who they’re not. Every new thing we learn about Higgins and his family is more wholesome than the last.
9 Dani Rojas
Dani Rojas with his arms out on Nelson Road in Ted Lasso
Dani Rojas with his arms out on Nelson Road in Ted Lasso
Much like Ted himself, Dani Rojas is an infectious force of positivity. His “Football is life” motto indicates a refreshingly upbeat approach to life. When he accidentally killed a dog on the pitch, he went into a depressive spiral. But he managed to emerge from this spiral stronger than ever, with the knowledge that, yes, football is life, but it’s also death. There’s an important philosophy in there: it’s not all roses, but you have to take the good with the bad.
8 Trent Crimm
Trent looking at Ted in 3x02
Trent looking at Ted in 3x02
When Trent Crimm was first introduced, he was just a cynical journalist raking Ted over the coals with difficult questions and biased write-ups. But over the course of the series, he turned out to have a lot more depth than it seemed. Trent joined the main cast when he started working on a book about Ted’s influence on AFC Richmond, and he was a great addition to the team. He was mostly an impartial observer, throwing in the occasional wry one-liner, but he was also an integral mentor to Colin on his journey to come to terms with his sexuality.
7 Keeley Jones
Keeley (Juno Temple) looking upset while holding her phone in Ted Lasso
Keeley (Juno Temple) looking upset while holding her phone in Ted Lasso
When Keeley was first introduced, she was a pretty familiar archetype: the vapid supermodel; the trophy girlfriend of the star football player. Celebrities just like Keeley show up on the front page of tabloid rags every single day. But Juno Temple’s terrific performance quickly transcended that archetype and turned Keeley into a more complex, vulnerable, three-dimensional human being. In the third season, the character was reduced to a pawn in a love triangle with Roy and Jamie, but even when the writing fails her, Temple is always a joy to watch in this role.
6 Coach Beard
Coach Beard holding a book in 3x01
Coach Beard holding a book in 3x01
Brendan Hunt was a co-creator and writer on Ted Lasso before joining the cast as the mysterious Coach Beard, and he ended up being the perfect wildcard for the show. Whereas Ted wears his heart on his sleeve, Beard is much more aloof, and Hunt has had a lot of fun playing into that opposite Sudeikis’ bubbly, positive energy. Whenever Ted Lasso is getting a bit too sappy, Beard swoops in with a dry, deadpan one-liner to break up the melodrama and get a big laugh. His toxic relationship with Jane was unwisely romanticized by the show, but the character remains an icon. In “Beard After Hours,” he soaked up the spotlight and showed a sensitive side we’d never seen before.
5 Jamie Tartt
Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster) looking off-camera in Ted Lasso
Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster) looking off-camera in Ted Lasso
Not many TV characters have had a redemption arc quite as effective as Jamie Tartt. When we were first introduced to Jamie, he was cocky, boorish, arrogant, and self-centered. He thought he was God’s gift to football. But as the series went on, and we met his abusive dad and his smothering mum, suddenly it all made sense: his dad’s abuse made him perpetuate the “hurt people hurt people” mantra, and his mum’s love made him think he was the greatest thing since sliced bread. Since then, he’s become much less selfish, much more of a team player, and an overall better person.
4 Sam Obisanya
Sam and Edwin Akufo in a museum in Ted Lasso
Sam and Edwin Akufo in a museum in Ted Lasso
Sam Obisanya is one of the sweetest, kindest characters in Ted Lasso. Most of the characters in this show needed to meet Ted to be inspired to become a better person and be nicer to the people around them, but Sam was already like that. Throughout the series, the writers have used Sam to explore the horrible reality of racism and xenophobia within football fandom. Fortunately, his teammates are always there to support him and look out for him, and he’s been consistently shown to have the spirit and strength to overcome prejudice. Sam’s secret romance with Rebecca was an odd left turn, but he’s still one of the show’s most lovable characters.
3 Rebecca Welton
Rebecca with arms crossed in 3x01
Rebecca with arms crossed in 3x01
Hannah Waddingham did a wonderful job with Rebecca’s transformation through the first season. She was introduced as a low-key villain, using Ted’s ineptness and incompetence to tank her ex-husband’s prized football team just to get back at him. But when the scam was revealed, Ted didn’t lash out at Rebecca; he instantly forgave her. This killing-with-kindness approach fundamentally changed Rebecca. Over the next couple of seasons, Ted inspired her to become a much more open-minded, good-natured, forward-thinking person. Waddingham is an absolute queen, and the confidence she exudes as Rebecca should be an inspiration to us all.
2 Ted Lasso
Ted Lasso giving a speech in the Ted Lasso season 1 finale
Ted gives a speech in the Ted Lasso season 1 finale
The title character of a TV show isn’t always one of the best. Gavin and Stacey are the least interesting characters in Gavin & Stacey; Will and Grace are the least interesting characters in Will & Grace. But, much like with Frasier, Seinfeld, and The Larry Sanders Show, the title character in Ted Lasso is also one of the show’s best characters. Jason Sudeikis plays the part with an aw-shucks sweetness that’s really endearing. He’s done a really incredible job of showing that Ted’s relentless positivity is just a facade covering up a deep well of pain. And to think, this character started out as an advertising mascot.
1 Roy Kent
Roy Kent looking back in Ted Lasso
Roy Kent looking back in Ted Lasso
Easily the most iconic character to come out of Ted Lasso is Roy Kent. Everyone in the ensemble is great, but Roy has broken through to the annals of television history. Inspired by real-life footballer Roy Keane, Roy is a lean, mean fighting machine who growls at his teammates and intimidates his opponents. But the genius of Ted Lasso — and of Brett Goldstein’s brilliant performance — is that the series has gradually peeled back the layers to reveal Roy is really a big softie with a heart of gold. It makes for a hilarious juxtaposition, and a really lovable character.