The Year of Positivity? Joe Pera and Ted Lasso Were The Television We Needed In 2020
As I mentioned in my 2020 year-end wrap-up, my year in television was marked by two shows in particular: Joe Pera Talks With You, and Ted Lasso. The two shows are quite different; Pera is quiet, even somewhat subdued; quirky and endearing.
The awkward but sincere Pera makes his way through life and relationships as a Junior High School choir instructor. Pera’s sense of wonder and sincere niceness brought and endearing positivity to an otherwise oppressive year. I want that joy Joe finds at “discovering” The Who’s “Baba O'riley.” I want to think the best of people, which is the thread tying these two shows together.
Ted Lasso tells the tale of an American “football” coach who is brought to England to coach European football (soccer). An edgier, more foul-mouthed show, Lasso’s namesake character is definitely more animated that the subdued Pera, but Lasso shares Pera’s seemingly endless ability to not only think the best of people but to practice forgiveness.
It is striking to me that in a year as heavy as 2020 was, two of the best television shows trafficked in positivity, niceness and forgiveness. Both shows are not only genuinely funny and wore their positive outlooks without flinching from the sadness of life or becoming preachy.
Watch the Joe Pera Talks With You Season 2 trailer:
Watch the Ted Lasso series trailer: