Ted Lasso is unique among sports shows because it is about much more than just the game, following the title character (Jason Sudeikis) as he moves to England to coach a sport with which he has no practical experience and attempts to build a winning team seemingly sets up a football-centric comedy. Yet the positivity, kindness, and humanity make the show more about people than football. The vibrant characters on and around Ted's team set the comedy apart from the rest, but the connections the characters share make it wholesome. What other show has an angry, prickly character like Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein), who plays a nurturing parent figure to his young niece? Or follows an arrogant bully as he learns the importance of supporting his teammates, such as Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster)? These unusual dynamics make the show unlike any other.
Among the many bright spots in Ted Lasso is the portrayal of the female friendship developed over time between Keeley Jones (Juno Temple) and Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham). With the sheer amount of players on the team, it's impossible to avoid being a male-dominated cast. Yet Ted Lasso takes the time to develop a realistic and supportive friendship between the two female leads. Though Keeley and Rebecca have drastically different personalities, they support each other with encouragement and, when needed, tough love. It's a healthy friendship that often doesn't make it to the screen, but in this case, the realism is more than just the characters' relationship. Temple and Waddingham have confirmed that they are friends off-screen as well. The fact that they share a real-life friendship allows the chemistry between Keeley and Rebecca to feel natural, striking a chord with many fans and providing a rare glimpse at a genuine female friendship.
The Importance of Female Friendship in 'Ted Lasso'
It would have been easy to make the only two female lead characters be in constant competition about who wore it better or petty miscommunication — or, even more likely, for them not to interact at all. They are completely different people from the very beginning. Keeley is a free spirit who chases fame, while Rebecca is a professional badass out for revenge on her ex-husband, no matter who she has to cross to get it. With so little in common, they could have remained in separate plotlines, but instead, they were brought together. As they became friends, the two women helped each other grow. Over the course of their time together, Rebecca has learned to let people into her life and to believe in herself. Meanwhile, Keeley has grown into a businesswoman, making a name for herself instead of relying on a more famous boyfriend. Originally, Rebecca is at odds with the entire team. Yet, as she is shown kindness by those around her, she rethinks her position — and Keeley is one of those who helps Rebecca see the light.
These two meet early on, and, on Keeley's side, they click instantly, though Rebecca takes some warming up. Yet she soon befriends the more eccentric woman, allowing for personal growth. These characters seem to be opposites. While Rebecca is cold, hard, and independent, Keeley is all femininity and emotion. Their connection shouldn't exist, yet it does. Rebecca supports Keeley's career, hiring and mentoring her as she becomes successful in her own right. Keeley helps talk Rebecca through her emotional barriers after her divorce, problems at work, and anything else that may come up. Sharing work and girl talk alike, they become inseparable. They help each other to grow and are unafraid to call out their friend when need be. This unexpected friendship becomes a surprisingly accurate depiction of such a relationship, and it never wavers on-screen due to the dynamic of the actresses off-screen.
Hannah Waddingham and Juno Temple Are IRL Friends
Much like their characters, Waddingham and Temple developed a close-knit friendship. Waddingham claims they clicked instantly before she knew the characters would become close too. They know the importance of the rare relationship they are portraying because they experience it with each other. Temple claims she and Waddingham are a safe space for each other, like Keeley and Rebecca. Both actresses are aware that their personal friendship informs their characters, but according to Waddingham, they are closer in real life than Keeley and Rebecca in the show.
Waddingham readily admits that Temple "came into my life and made me think to be a better person," much like on Ted Lasso. Though they are not completely like their characters, clearly Temple and Waddingham treasure the bond they share on and off the screen. When Keeley quits her job at AFC Richmond to start her own PR firm, Rebecca advises her to hire her best friend due to their experience working together. It's an emotional scene, echoed by the fact Temple and Waddingham became friends as they worked together on Ted Lasso. Like their characters, Temple and Waddingham support and uplift each other, allowing art to imitate life in the purest way.
How Does Their Friendship Affect the Show?
The friendship these women share comes across on the show, making Keeley and Rebecca's connection feel all the more genuine. Their chemistry bleeds over from their real-life relationship, appearing in their characters and making even the drastically different women believably close. The combination of excellent writing and the love Waddingham and Temple already share bolster the relationship of the fictional women to a real and relatable thing. The realness of their relationship shines through and allows the friendship to work. In a show all about relationships, it's important to show two women supporting each other unconditionally and unapologetically.
Few shows find a way to portray a healthy, realistic, and loving friendship between two women, especially ones who have little in common, but Ted Lasso manages it, in large part, thanks to Waddingham and Temple. Though a show about football seems a strange place for this iconic depiction of female friendship, Temple and Waddingham have carved out a relationship for their characters, creating a beautiful dynamic that many women can relate to.
New episodes of Ted Lasso Season 3 premiere every Wednesday on Apple TV+.