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8 must-see shows like Ted Lasso to fill the gap before season 4

The sports comedy is returning, but you can enjoy these alternatives in the meantime

The cast of Ted Lasso
Apple TV+

Ted Lasso is one of the biggest hits in the history of Apple TV+. The sports comedy starring Jason Sudeikis is famous for its overly positive outlook on life as it follows an eager American football coach who is told to conform to the expectations of English soccer after being hired overseas. Ted doesn’t listen to the doubters as each episode oozes with an easy, funny tone that brightens everyone’s day. It’s one of the best comfort watches in any TV fan’s library.

While the third season of Ted Lasso was supposed to be its last, the series has been renewed for a fourth season. Ted Lasso season 4 doesn’t have a release date or plot synopsis yet, but fans are already eager to get back into the world of hijinks and fun. If you have already watched the first three seasons a few too many times, we have a solution. These are the best shows like Ted Lasso to stream next while waiting for season 4.

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Running Point (2025)

Running Point
tv-ma
1 Season
Genre
Comedy
Stars
Kate Hudson, Brenda Song, Scott MacArthur
Created by
Mindy Kaling, Ike Barinholtz, David Stassen, Elaine Ko
Watch on Netflix
Running Point is based loosely on the life of Los Angeles Lakers chairman Jeanie Buss. Starring Kate Hudson, the series is a hilarious look at the daughter of a famous basketball team who gets in over her head when she inherits her father’s business. The series quickly became a hit on Netflix and strikes the same tone as Ted Lasso: a good mix between comedy and drama that goes down like a cold glass of milk after a chocolate chip cookie in the late afternoon.

Angel City (2023)

Angel City
tv-pg
1 Season
Genre
Documentary
Watch on max

Natalie Portman is the biggest name behind this HBO documentary miniseries about the relaunching of Los Angeles’s women’s professional soccer franchise under a new name and leadership group. The series doesn’t have the same levity as Ted Lasso and is a lot more educational and informative. If you like the soccer aspect more than the comedic format of Ted Lasso, expect Angel City to scratch that itch so you can get on the pitch vicariously through the story.

Schitt's Creek (2015)

Schitt's Creek
tv-14
6 Seasons
Genre
Comedy
Stars
Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Dan Levy
Created by
Eugene Levy, Dan Levy
Watch on Amazon
Schitt’s Creek is similar to Ted Lasso despite not having anything to do with sports. The Rose family is much like Ted Lasso when they lose everything they own and have to move to a small town in the middle of nowhere. The rich, spoiled Roses learn to love their new surroundings and they adapt to a different lifestyle while keeping their unique traits, much like Ted does. Schitt’s Creek also just makes you feel good about life, family, and friends. Both series are part of TV’s trend towards happier and more upbeat programming at the end of the 2010s and entering into the 2020s after a decade-plus of violence and antiheroes.

Friday Night Lights (2006)

Friday Night Lights
tv-14
5 Seasons
Genre
Drama
Stars
Kyle Chandler, Connie Britton, Aimee Teegarden
Created by
Brian Grazer, Peter Berg
Watch on Amazon

Friday Night Lights is the classic football drama about the lives of a small town full of high school football diehard fans and the players they cheer on. Kyle Chandler is one of the best actors here portraying the head coach of a fictional Texas community. Football and real-life problems intertwine in a way that makes viewers engrossed in high school football culture even if they’ve never watched a single snap of the game. Friday Night Lights shows the power of sports to enhance a city’s hope for its children and families. Connie Britton (who has appeared in The White Lotus) is fantastic in the secondary role as head coach Eric Taylor’s wife.

The English Game (2020)

The English Game
tv-14
1 Season
Genre
Drama
Stars
Kevin Guthrie, Edward Holcroft, Niamh Walsh
Created by
Julian Fellowes, Oliver Cotton, Tony Charles
Watch on Netflix

The English Game is much more serious than Ted Lasso, but it does the same job of displaying the power of soccer to unite different types of people no matter where they come from. The series is a historical drama that takes a look at the evolution of soccer in England. What started as a game for the rich eventually transformed into a universal hobby for people of all backgrounds at the end of the 19th century.

Detectorists (2014)

Detectorists
tv-14
3 Seasons
Genre
Comedy
Stars
Mackenzie Crook, Toby Jones, Rachael Stirling
Created by
Mackenzie Crook
Watch on Tubi

Detectorists was either going to be a massive flop or a brilliant diversion from the typical sports TV programming people watch. Most fans and critics feel it falls into the latter category. Two men use golf courses as a means to find a fortune as they go metal-detecting mad. Their adventures are always hilarious and the show developed into one of the cult TV hits of the 2010s.

Pitch (2016)

Pitch
tv-14
1 Season
Genre
Drama
Stars
Kylie Bunbury, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Ali Larter
Created by
Dan Fogelman, Rick Singer
Watch on Amazon

Pitch is a one-season wonder created by Paradise’s Dan Fogelman. The courage of a woman to enter Major League Baseball and pitch for the San Diego Padres builds a hopeful narrative around sports equality and the potential for female athletes to strive for their dreams no matter who doubts their abilities.

The Office (2005)

The Office
tv-14
9 Seasons
Genre
Comedy
Stars
Rainn Wilson, John Krasinski, Jenna Fischer
Created by
Greg Daniels
Watch on Peacock

The Office has nothing to do with soccer, but it had the same impact of comedy television back in the 2000s. Despite a lot more innuendo and adult humor, the workplace comedy keeps it just light enough to make people love the characters and the storylines. The NBC series about a goofy and mismatched bunch of coworkers for a paper company has continued to garner new fans into the 2020s.

Movie images and data from:
Shawn Laib
Shawn Laib is a freelance writer with publications such as Den of Geek, Quote.com, Edge Media Network, diaTribe, SUPERJUMP…
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