Pilot (Ted Lasso)

"Pilot" is the series premiere of the American sports comedy-drama television series Ted Lasso, based on the character played by Jason Sudeikis in a series of promos for NBC Sports' coverage of England's Premier League. The episode was written by Sudeikis and Bill Lawrence from a story by Sudeikis, Lawrence, Brendan Hunt and Joe Kelly, and directed by Tom Marshall. It was released on Apple TV+ on August 14, 2020, alongside the two follow-up episodes. The series follows Ted Lasso, an American college football coach, who is unexpectedly recruited to coach a fictional English Premier League soccer team, AFC Richmond, despite having no experience coaching soccer. The team's owner, Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham), hires Lasso hoping he will fail as a means of exacting revenge on the team's previous owner, her unfaithful ex-husband. The episode serves to introduce all the characters and establish their story arcs. The series premiere received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised Sudeikis' performance, humor, and uplifting tone. For his performance in the episode, Jason Sudeikis won Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series at the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards. Additionally, the episode received a nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series.