Jason Sudeikis & Bill Lawrence Introduce the ‘Charming & Hopeful’ ‘Ted Lasso’ (VIDEO)

Apple TV+ is serving up a slice of heartwarming inspiration sprinkled with some clever comedy in its latest series, Ted Lasso.

Starring Jason Sudeikis, the show follows the titular character, a small-time college football coach, who is plucked from Kansas to manage a professional soccer team despite having zero experience with the sport. If Lasso looks familiar that’s because Sudeikis originated the character in a series of NBC Sports promos as far back as 2013.

Co-created and executive produced by Sudeikis and Bill Lawrence (Scrubs, Cougar Town), this charming sports tale is like chicken soup, or rather a delectable British biscuit, for your quarantined soul. Ahead of the show’s Friday, August 14 debut (the first three episodes will be available for streaming, with consecutive installments releasing weekly), TV Insider caught up with both Sudeikis and Lawrence for some intel on the new comedy.

(Credit: Apple TV+)

“It’s a fish-out-of-water story, it’s also an underdog story and a few other stories as well,” Sudeikis explains. The actor teases that his character is “equal parts ignorant and curious, which I think is a much more endearing, charming, and hopeful combination than ignorance and arrogance.”

“Ted Lasso is one of those people that we’ve all met that, because of the time we live in, your initial reaction is that there’s no way this guy or girl is this sincere and this optimistic, this nice of a human being,” adds Lawrence. “And then you start to be mad at yourself because as he or she grows on you, and you realize ‘Oh my gosh, this is real.'”

See what else they’re teasing about the show in our full interview above and don’t miss Ted Lasso when it premieres on Apple TV+.

Ted Lasso, Series Premiere, Friday, August 14, Apple TV+