Ted Lasso Not Welcome in Football Motherland, But Not Exactly Why You'd Expect
When Apple announced it would make a series out of an eight-year-old commercial about an American football coach who takes over a Premier League club, not many expected it to be a success.
But Ted Lasso won over viewers with his unabashed positivity.
The series has scored multiple Emmy Awards, even becoming two-times Outstanding Comedy Series, so you could say the show does pretty well.
While being one of Apple TV 's most popular projects, it doesn't seem to be that liked in the very country the show takes place in – the UK.
Apple TV limited popularity in the country is apparently to blame. Only 8.7% of households that have a streaming service in the UK (1.69 million) even subscribe to Apple TV, according to UK's Broadcasters' Audience Research Board.
Ted Lasso hasn't even ever made it to Top 50 in the country.
While Americans love Ted Lasso, Brits seem to be way less enthusiastic about it. It turns out there are several reasons for that.
"There are definitely people who watch Ted Lasso in the UK, but I could count on one hand the number of people I know who subscribe to Apple TV," Redditor knopethankyou supports the information above first-hand.
"Most people in the UK I know that have seen Ted Lasso or Severance pirated it," Redditor Fieryhotsauce confesses.
On the other hand, the real reason might be more deep-rooted than that. Many British viewers criticize the hit show for being too American for their taste.
They don't really like the depiction of the UK in Ted Lasso either. That's how the series is perceived on the other side of the pond:
"The script is so horribly American it really makes me cringe in places," says Redditor crustyjuggler69.
Many users are not okay with the "American gaze" in the series.
"As a Brit it looks like an Americans impression of British football and small town life. Which is always way off the mark," Redditor mudman13 weighs in.
Whether you like the show or not, it will soon return with its third season (slated to premiere on March 15th).