6 Fantastic Comedy Shows To Watch Before ‘Ted Lasso’ Season 4
Two years after its previous critically acclaimed season, Ted Lasso is set to officially return with a highly-anticipated fourth season.
While some might believe the show ended on a perfect note with its third season finale, most longtime fans of the series can’t help but jump for joy at the news they’ll be receiving another addition to Apple TV+’s flagship comedy series, complete with returning appearances from Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein, and Jeremy Swift.
As astounding as this new development is for Ted Lasso fans across the globe, it’s likely to be quite a bit of time before we see the new season officially arrive on streaming. In the meantime, here are six extremely worthwhile comedy series to check out ahead of Ted Lasso’s fourth season, each of which bear a strong resemblance to Sudeikis’s series in either its comedic style, likable characters, or blessedly uplifting tone.
Schitt’s Creek
There’s no shortage of family-oriented sitcoms proliferating television, from early ‘70s series like All in the Family to more recent examples like Young Sheldon. That being said, Schitt’s Creek somehow forges its own unique identity within the sitcom format, delivering a widely-loved comedy series as funny as it is genuinely heartfelt. While it spends an ample amount of time focusing on the personal flaws of its lead characters, Schitt’s Creek also underscores each cast member’s tremendous potential for growth, allowing them to mature from self-centered, image-obsessed prima donnas to a close-knit family who truly care for one another.
Scrubs
Upon first glance, it’s easy to dismiss Scrubs as adhering too closely to the stereotypical medical drama format. But from its earliest episodes onward, Scrubs regularly defied clear-cut classifications surrounding its narrative story arcs. Relying on a zany sense of humor that cleverly emphasizes slapstick humor and surreal sight gags, Scrubs also hammers home the hardest aspects that come with life on a hospital staff, from dealing with the constant stress of treating patients to the inevitable heartbreak that comes from losing someone in your care.
Parks and Recreation
As Ted Lasso routinely shows us, great things can be accomplished with the right attitude and an inherently upbeat point of view, affording us the opportunity to triumph over the seemingly insurmountable odds stacked against our favor. In what initially seemed like a half-baked spin-off of The Office, Parks and Rec’s increasingly confident storytelling helped separate itself from its various mockumentary predecessors, complete with a range of lovable oddball characters like Nick Offerman’s Ron Swanson, Chris Pratt’s Andy Dwyer, and Amy Poehler’s perpetually optimistic Leslie Knope.
Friday Night Lights
Okay, you caught us – Friday Night Lights is about as much a comedy series as Judge Judy or The Mandalorian is. But at the end of the day, this hit NBC series bears plenty of stylistic similarities to its eventual Apple TV+ successor. As with Ted Lasso, Friday Night Lights excels at portraying the insurmountable pressure coaches and athletes contend with when it comes to their performances on the field – regardless of if we’re talking about a Texas high school football team or a Premier soccer organization.
The Good Place
On the surface, it’s hard to think of a series as drastically different from Ted Lasso as NBC’s The Good Place. An ambitious fantasy comedy set in a surreal version of the Afterlife, The Good Place touches upon many opposing themes in the course of its four seasons on television, from fate, destiny, and true love to luck, philosophy, and organic character growth over time. A definitive far from from Ted Lasso’s underlying material, The Good Place nevertheless tackles similarly heavy topics of discussion throughout its fast-moving narrative. Lulling you into a false sense of security with its buoyant comedy, it isn’t long before The Good Place strikes a mighty blow with its emotionally jarring episodes, blending comedy with existential drama time and time again.
Derry Girls
It’s a difficult feat to craft a mainstream historical comedy that appeals to every member of the audience, but somehow, Derry Girls pulls off that miraculous balancing act with remarkable dexterity and dedication. Set in 1990s Ireland, Derry Girls follows five teenage students braving their way through the country’s tumultuous Troubles, a time of political strife that pitted Northern Ireland nationalists against United Kingdom loyalists. Experiencing a multitude of hardships stemming from the international conflict, Derry Girls also highlights each characters’ maturation into young adulthood, as well as their constant attempts to seek love, friendship, and fundamental meaning in spite of the suffering and political uncertainty around them.
