It has been a tough week for those of us that live in Estes Valley. A tough week, in a tough month in what has become a historically tough year.

 It is not always easy to cover the tragedies that we have been through as a community. It can take a toll. This past week, I took a break from a deep-dive investigation into the story that broke this past week that involved the attempted murder, kidnapping, and assault of a local teenage girl. This story hit very close to home for me, having three daughters of my own (and a granddaughter.) One of which is the same age as the victim. That, combined with a very close family member coming very close to passing on after a heart attack recently, had contributed to my need for solace. Solace from global pandemics, floods, fires, evacuations, violence, employment crises, and the world in large part seemingly going crazy. 

This week I found a little bit of that sought-after solace in a very unexpected place for me, in a tv show about a college football coach. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not much of a "sports guy," but something about this show hooked me. It was just a sappy show of genuine human kindness and a little hope that got to me.

 I admit to taking last Sunday off and binging the entire first season of this show while on the couch with my family. It turned out to be just what I needed. A healing balm to help counteract some of the craziness that life has thrown our way this past year.

Ted Lasso is a comedy streaming television series developed by Bill Lawrence, Jason Sudeikis, Joe Kelly, and Brendan Hunt, based on a character of the same name that Sudeikis first portrayed in promos for NBC Sports' coverage of the Premier League. The series premiered on Apple TV+ on August 14, 2020, and has been renewed for a second season of 12 episodes five days after its premiere. The second season is scheduled to premiere on July 23, 2022. The series has already been renewed for a third season.

The show has quickly racked up a long list of accolades, including ten major awards, including a Golden Globe and a Peabody Award. 

The series follows Sudeikis's character Ted Lasso, who coaches a division II National Collegiate Athletic Association team before being hired to coach AFC Richmond, an English Premier League football (soccer, for us Americans') team. 

Hannah Waddingham plays Rebecca Walton, the new owner of AFC Richmond. Who after a divorce settlement, she becomes the owner of her estranged ex-husband, beloved team. In an act of revenge, she hires Sudeikis's character as part of a plan to ruin the team, the only thing her ex-husband loved. 

I don't want to ruin the storyline for you. But, things, of course, don't go as planned. It turns out that Ted Lasso is just a great coach. Who strives for genuine human connection ahead of wins. 

The main character Ted Lasso is a bit of a mix between the folksy, sickeningly sweet Ned Flanders character from the Simpson's animated series and an upbeat and overly optimistic junior high career counselor, who the world at large hasn't yet beaten down. Lasso may not be the most strategic coach, nor know anything about English football (soccer), but he excels at being a life coach to the whole team, fostering human connections, kindness, and second chances. 

If you find you and your family need a break from the world as it is currently and have a need to zone out to some feel-good, tear-jerking TV binging, I highly recommend Apple TV+'s new show, Ted Lasso. With the second season set to be released this week, you'll have enough for an entire weekend. 

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