After you binge Season 4, try these TV shows like “Ted Lasso”
“Ted Lasso” is on its fourth season, and it’s still one of the most popular shows on Apple TV. But there are only so many times you can rewatch Ted’s lush mustache, Roy’s profane rants, and Trent Crimm’s inexhaustible T-shirt collection.
After the ultimate feel-good soccer underdog series of the 2020s, what should you watch next? Try these staff-recommended sports comedies on for size.
Sports TV shows like “Ted Lasso”
“Welcome to Wrexham” (2022–present)
It’s technically a reality docuseries, but there are plenty of laughs on the pitch in “Welcome to Wrexham,” thanks to newbie soccer club owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. Even if you don’t care about soccer (aka football in Britain), it’s impossible not to be charmed by this IRL “Ted Lasso.”
Where to watch “Welcome to Wrexham”
You can catch “Welcome to Wrexham” on FX (available on YouTube TV or Hulu + Live TV) or Hulu Basic.
“GLOW” (2017–2019)
Based on the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling league and TV series of the ’80s, “GLOW” is an alternately silly and serious depiction of indie pro wrestling, female bonding, and retina-burning neon period fashion. The excellent ensemble cast (led by Alison Brie and Betty Gilpin) shines throughout 30 perfect episodes.
Where to watch “GLOW”
You can catch “Glow” on Netflix.
“Ballers” (2015–2019)
“Young Rock” wasn’t the first TV series from Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson: Football dramedy “Ballers” ran for five critically acclaimed seasons before it. The series, dubbed by the press as “NFL ‘Entourage,'” hinges on the hilarious chemistry between Johnson and Rob Corddry as semi-competent sports managers.
Where to watch “Ballers”
Catch “Ballers” on HBO Max.
“Sports Night” (1998–2000)
Before “The West Wing,” TV powerhouse Aaron Sorkin created “Sports Night,” an unsubtle fictional riff on ESPN’s “SportsCenter.” The two-season series is set behind the scenes of a nightly sports news program anchored by Peter Krause and Josh Charles. As always, the real star is Sorkin’s briskly smart dialogue.
Where to watch “Sports Night”
“Sports Night” isn’t currently available on any subscription services, but you can buy the seasons on Prime Video.
“The League” (2009–2015)
Any list of “you couldn’t make that today” TV shows will usually include raunchy cable comedy “The League.” The series is about a fantasy football league, but it’s really just 30 minutes of bros brutally (and hysterically) tearing each other down. If you need to up your trash-talk game, join “The League.”
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Where to watch “The League”
Check out “The League” on Hulu.
“Benders” (2015)
Like “The League,” “Benders” is an unapologetically dude-centric comedy, but these dudes actually play a sport … terribly. This group of friends loves hockey, but they prove they absolutely suck at it every week in their Queens amateur hockey league. The short-lived “Benders” is second only to our next hockey entry.
Where to watch “Benders”
“Shoresy” (2022–present)
His face was never seen on “Letterkenny,” but that all changed when hockey hooligan Shoresy (Jared Keeso) spun off into his own series. “Shoresy” shares some alt-comedy DNA with “Letterkenny,” but this saga of the Triple-A Sudbury Bulldogs’ rocky rise is its own gap-toothed beast — with an actual plot.
Where to watch “Shoresy”
Stream “Shoresy” (and “Letterkenny”) on Hulu.
“A League of Their Own” (2022)
Abbi Jacobson’s “A League of Their Own” is less of a remake of the 1992 movie than a complete reinvention with a more diverse cast and a forthright feminist attitude. The 1940s-set comedy about an all-women’s baseball league is fresh, funny, and, unfortunately, only one season and eight episodes long.
Where to watch “A League of Their Own”
Catch “A League of Their Own” on Prime Video.
“Eastbound & Down” (2009–2013)
Danny McBride has played many a dumb blowhard over the years (most recently as the nepo-patriarch in “The Righteous Gemstones”), but “Eastbound & Down” established his Kenny “Effin” Powers character as the MVP of coarse comedy. Supremely overconfident baseball pitcher Powers’ twisty tale is pure redneck redemption.
Where to watch “Eastbound & Down”
Catch “Eastbound & Down” — and Kenny “Effin'” Powers — on HBO Max.
“Blue Mountain State” (2010–2011)
A decade before he became Jack Reacher, Alan Ritchson played college football linebacker Thad in “Blue Mountain State,” one of cable’s most obnoxiously offensive comedies ever. There’s some scrimmaging, but BMS is mainly sex, drugs, booze, hazing, and more sex — it’s the filthy flipside of “Friday Night Lights.”
Where to watch “Blue Mountain State”
Catch “Blue Mountain State” on Philo or Prime Video.
Bill Frost has been a journalist and TV reviewer since the 4:3-aspect-ratio ’90s. His pulse-pounding prose has been featured in The Salt Lake Tribune, Inlander, Coachella Valley Independent, Las Vegas Weekly, and many other dead-tree publications (see BillFrost.tv). In addition to being a Senior Contributing Writer at CableTV.com, Bill is a syndicated streaming TV columnist for Salt Lake City Weekly and other alternative weeklies, and host/producer of TV Tan Podcast. By night, Bill cranks a Flying V with his band at the bar.
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