We're ready to "believe in BELIEVE" again.
Award-winning Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso returned for season two on July 23, after receiving a whopping 20 Emmy Award nominations. Fans were more than eager to see their favorite hopeful British soccer (or football, as it's referred to internationally) coach, played by Jason Sudeikis, back on the AFC Richmond field once again. Now, audiences are cheering on the whole Ted Lasso team IRL during the 2021 Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 19.
The charismatic ensemble comedy cast has previously earned the series three Critics' Choice awards, a Golden Globe, a SAG award and two WGA awards after its 2020 premiere.
Ted Lasso season two debuted a new crop of problems for Ted, team owner Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) and players Dani Rojas (Cristo Fernández), Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster) and Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein). Thankfully, Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt) and Nate (Nick Mohammed) are there to make sure Ted keeps his cool under pressure.
"For those people who think it's about football, I think we all know it's very much not about football," Waddingham exclusively told E! News about why Ted Lasso is special, following her Emmy nod for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series on July 13. "It's about the beautiful game of people in each other's lives more than anything."
With already a third season on the horizon, according to writer Jamie Lee, it's safe to say Ted Lasso has scored a game-winning goal in everyone's hearts.
And for those of us who can think back further than a goldfish's memory, there are more than few familiar faces among our beloved Ted Lasso cast. From Game of Thrones to Downton Abbey, keep scrolling to see where our favorite stars got their starts.
Former Saturday Night Live funnyman Jason Sudeikis wows as lovable expat coach Ted Lasso in the titular role of the AppleTV+ hit. But before winning a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series Musical or Comedy in Feb. 2021, Sudeikis has been cracking up audiences for years with appearances in Hall Pass, Horrible Bosses and We're the Millers. The multi-talented star also flexes his acting chops with more serious roles in Sleeping With Other People, Race and upcoming prison drama South of Heaven co-starring Evangeline Lilly.
Ted Lasso co-creator Brendan Hunt plays Ted Lasso's righthand man, Coach Beard, and it's no surprise that Hunt has a similar improv background to co-star Sudeikis. While Sudeikis got his start in Chicago's famed Second City troupe, Hunt began at Upright Citizens' Brigade. Hunt later toured with the Amsterdam-based Boom Chicago group, which inspired Ted Lasso. Like Sudeikis, Hunt acts as writer and producer for the series in addition to his role as Coach Beard.
Real-life BFFs Hunt and Sudeikis have co-starred together in Horrible Bosses 2 and We're the Millers. Hunt also has appeared in Bless This Mess and Key & Peele with voiceover work for Animaniacs and Curious George.
No shame in the Game! Prior to playing soccer team owner Rebecca Welton on Ted Lasso, Hannah Waddingham memorably portrayed Septa Unella on Game of Thrones, a.k.a. "Shame" nun. And yes, the role was just as excruciating for Waddingham off-screen as it seemed to viewers! The British actress also had roles in TV series Doctors, Krypton and Sex Education.
Jeremy Swift has a familiar face in Ted Lasso co-star Waddingham: they both starred on Doctors together! Yet Swift, who plays Higgins on Ted Lasso, is probably best known to fans as Spratt in Downton Abbey. Other past TV roles include The Durrells, Wanderlust and The Moonstone, while Swift has also appeared in movies Mary Poppins Returns and Jupiter Ascending.
Even though Brett Goldstein stars as aging soccer player Roy Kent, he started as a writer on the series. The screenwriter recently co-created AMC series Soulmates, and also has also starred in episodes of Drunk History: UK, Uncle, Drifters and Doctor Who.
As cocky AFC Richmond soccer star Jamie Tartt, Phil Dunster is the resident heartthrob on Ted Lasso. Makes sense: Dunster previously loaned his good looks to TV shows Strike Back, Save Me and Humans, while stealing scenes opposite Renée Zellweger in Judy and Helen Mirren in miniseries Catherine the Great.
Juno Temple's Ted Lasso character Keeley Jones starts off as the model girlfriend of Jamie (Dunster), but in real life, Temple is no side piece. With haunting roles in Atonement, Notes on a Scandal, Wild Child, Lovelace and Greenberg, Temple has crafted her film career as an indie darling. She even had parts in The Dark Knight Rises and Maleficent before landing on Lasso. As for other TV roles, Temple memorably appeared in Vinyl and Dirty John.
The butt of Jamie's many jokes, AFC Richmond kit man Nathan Shelley (Nick Mohammed) is responsible for cleaning the soccer gear for the team. Viewers may recognize Mohammed from his prior roles on TV shows Horne & Corden, Absolutely Fabulous, Sorry I've Got No Head and Uncle, in addition to his memorable appearance opposite Matt Damon in The Martian. Mohammed also starred, wrote and produced series Intelligence alongside David Schwimmer.
Ted Lasso is now streaming on Apple TV +.