The Ted Lasso cast says that tattoos are the wildest fan reactions to the show. Premiering in August of 2020, the Apple TV+ series led by Jason Sudeikis quickly caught on as one of the hottest comedies streaming anywhere amid the coronavirus pandemic. The show went on to score a number of award nominations, including big wins for its lead star, Sudeikis, positioning himself as the frontrunner in the Emmy race. With two more seasons on the way, Ted Lasso has clearly become one of the streaming service’s flagship series.
The idea for the hit comedy was originally conceived by a series of promos Sudeikis did for NBC’s coverage of the Premier League in 2013. Building upon that premise, Ted Lasso follows its titular American football coach who is unexpectedly recruited to manage AFC Richmond, a struggling soccer team in England. With the perpetually positive and folksy coach at its center, Ted Lasso also stars Hannah Waddingham as the team’s owner, Brendan Hunt as Coach Beard, and Sarah Niles as the team’s new sports psychologist in season 2.
Ted Lasso has garnered an impressive following over just one season, which premiered to record-breaking numbers for the fledgling streaming service. Now, in an interview with Screen Rant, one of the show’s stars, Toheeb Jimoh, was asked about the wildest reactions he’s seen. He talked about fans tattooing Ted Lasso quotes onto their bodies, saying:
I'd say tattoos, man. People will send us pictures of tattoos they've got of a goldfish or "be curious, not judgmental." I wouldn't be surprised if somebody's got "football is life" somewhere on their body. But it just goes to show how this show really hit people and impacted them. And I would say the Ted Lasso community that we've got on social media has been the craziest and the funniest thing.
On the show, Jimoh appears in a recurring role as Sam Obisanya, a young right back from Nigeria who suffers from homesickness and struggles to adjust to his role on the team. Fans' goldfish tattoos which Jimoh mentions refer to a piece of advice that Ted gives Sam, telling him to “Be a goldfish” because their 10-second memories allow them to be the happiest animal on Earth. Jimoh references two other Ted Lasso quotes, "Football is life" and "Be curious, not judgmental," though the latter is originally attributed to Walt Whitman.
Ted Lasso’s ability to win over viewers' hearts was recently documented by a fan who live-tweeted their reactions to season 1, a thread which the show's creator Bill Lawrence shared. Season 2’s premiere on Apple TV+ is now just a few days away on July 23, and based on trailers and other marketing materials thus far, it looks like Ted Lasso’s follow-up season will be just as big of a hit amongst the show's passionate fanbase.