One of the nicer perks of having streaming services that can now present shows and movies on par or better than what the mainstream outlets offer is that the medium erases so many barriers. Shows like Ted Lasso aren't just shown on British or American TV. They can be seen all over the world. Now we can all share Ted's optimism (legally, of course).
The story of a happy-go-lucky American coach (played by Jason Sudeikis) moving across the pond to manage a soccer team (we know, "foot-bawl") is not the first show to cash in on the amusing culture clash between Americans and Brits. Just see Ashley Graham's pre-Oscars interview with Hugh Grant this week.
Nor is Ted Lasso the first stellar British series to feature a Yankee crossing over to their side of the Atlantic. Here are some other shows you might like if you love Ted Lasso:
Catastrophe
One of the first British shows to find a large American audience before streaming got too big for its own good included this dramatic comedy. Comedian-turned-actor Rob Delaney plays an American visiting England who has a one night fling with Sharon Horgan, who gets pregnant. She decides to keep the baby and Delaney's character flies back to try to build a life with someone he barely knows for the sake of his incoming child. The clash between cultures feels so real, which just makes it funnier and more endearing. It's hard to make a comedy that's poignant and makes you feel something other than liquid flying out of your nose. Catastrophe showed the world that Delaney is more than just a funny, interesting performer and Twitter personality.
Episodes
Matt LeBlanc should've gotten some kind of special award for playing a fictionalized version of himself on TV. They can call it the Fourthies or something.
This brilliant British series that got ported to Showtime centers on a fictional hit British sitcom written by Stephen Mangan and Tamsin Greig (who also stars in one of the all-time best British shows, Black Books, with the brilliant comedian Dylan Moran). Naturally, an American network wants to adapt the fictional TV show in the hopes of scoring another Sanford & Son or The Office, and the biggest name they can get is LeBlanc, who plays himself as an arrogant, reckless, impulsive son of a bitch. The entire Hollywood machine runs them and their production through the wringer, and the results are always smart and hilarious.
Cuckoo
Just before Andy Samberg became a TV star for the second time with Brooklyn Nine-Nine, he flew to England to star in a hilarious BBC family sitcom. Samberg played an American hippie who falls in love with Tamia Kari while she's traveling abroad. She returns to England with Samberg to introduce her parents, played by Greg Davies and Helen Baxendale, to their new son-in-law. Samberg is there to drive Davies crazy, which he does with the efficiency of a laminator (inside joke). Samberg is also charming and entertaining as the nightmare scenario son-in-law who professes his love in between drug hits — which he does all day long because he's perpetually unemployed. The U.S. Road Trip Special of Top Gear
Long before the world learned just how big a jerk Jeremy Clarkson could be, this entertaining car show from the BBC had a global audience. The true genius of Top Gear is how it could be so entertaining and informative for people who don't tinker with cars or know what a governor does (the car part, not the figurehead). One of the most infamous episodes sent Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James "Captain Slow" May on a road trip from Florida to Louisiana, starting with the task of finding a decent used car for no more than $1,000. Along the way, the group is subjected to various performance tests in the blistering Southern heat, like having to test the brakes in front of an alligator pit and to sleep in their cars. The one that almost got the cast and crew assaulted took place in (where else?) Alabama. The three stooges were challenged to decorate each other's cars in the hopes that they could get them shot at or have bricks hurled at them for extra points. It goes without saying that they never got to the end of that challenge.
The Book Group
This short-lived gem picked up where Ricky Gervais' The Office left off in building the awkward comedy genre. Anne Dudek plays a Cincinnati native who moves to Scotland. Anne starts a book club in an effort to make new friends and build a new life for herself, but the personalities shoved into the meeting room clash in smart and clever ways. In fact, it's not really fair to just call it a comedy because it does so many different things so well. Plus, any show with Michelle Gomez should automatically get your attention.
The "Waldorf Salad" Episode of Fawlty Towers
This classic British sitcom about a seaside hotel run by the world's most irrepressible and short-tempered manager, played by John Cleese, lasted only 12 episodes, but it's been watched and screened more times than any other British sitcom in the U.S. It's total screwball comedy. Cleese's tiny staff includes his domineering wife played, by Prunella Scales; his overworked confidant maid, played by Cleese's then-wife Connie Booth; and a lovable Spanish waiter, played by the great Andrew Sachs, who takes the brunt of Cleese's abuse in just about every episode. The "Waldorf Salad" episode pits Cleese against a brash, short-tempered American guest played by Bruce Boa and his very patient British wife, Claire Nielson. The conflict starts when Cleese sends his chef home, leaving him to prepare the meal and pretend he's still there when Boa orders the infamous salad. Cleese's attempts to clean up his mess get worse and worse until everyone is screaming at everyone and you're screaming with laughter.