Ted Lasso Fans Enjoy The Mystery Behind Lasso And Beard's Backstory
"Ted Lasso" Season 3 is off to a great start and the dynamics between the characters have been at the center of the narrative so far. Over the course of the show, the audience has watched everyone at Nelson Road develop as a team, so it's easy to forget that Ted Lasso's (Jason Sudeikis) friendship with Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt) predates the start of the series. Ted and Beard are best friends on and off the pitch. They have each other's backs, they finish each other's jokes, and their combined coaching skills have had a huge impact on the AFC Richmond players. Still, one question about their backstory remains unanswered: How did Ted and Beard meet?
"Is there any backstory to how the two of these guys became coaches, met each other, etc? They really jive well with each other and clearly have mutual respect. I'm just curious where this all came from," wondered Reddit user u/Soggy-Tomato-2562. In classic Ted Lasso fashion, Reddit user u/UbiSububi8 replied, "Not so far, Brenda Starr!"
Right now, their history is a mystery. However, some fans actually appreciate that ambiguity. "I honestly love that we have very little about Beard and Lasso's past together. I think a frequent flaw of shows is they create so much backstory that there is nothing left [for] the audience to imagine or figure out," said Reddit user u/LCLeopards. They continued: "But sometimes, it's good to leave a mystery a mystery and let the audience come up with the backstory."
Ted Lasso fans love the ambiguity of Ted and Beard's friendship
Ted Lasso and Coach Beard clearly have a bond that's not easily broken. When Ted decides to take a job in England to get some perspective on his marriage, Beard is with him every step of the way. When Ted's unflappable optimism clouds his judgment, Beard keeps him grounded. These two obviously know each other very well, so it's only natural to wonder about the origins of this dynamic duo. However, viewers don't mind that their friendship is shrouded in obscurity.
Fans appreciate the mysterious nature of Ted and Beard's connection because it leaves their past open to interpretation. "Agreed, it's better to leave the mystery there. Aside from being fun for the audience to come up with their own ideas, it allows the writers a blank check to randomly pull things from the characters' past that could be surprising," said Reddit user u/TylerBourbon.
In the absence of an established backstory, viewers are free to imagine how Ted and Beard's friendship began. "Partially related question: do we know Beard's real name? I sort of have this idea/headcanon that originally they were Coach Mustache and Coach Beard, and that Ted was later called by his real name but Beard just kept being Beard, for some reason," wrote Reddit user u/NieskeLouise.
Ted and Beard's relationship mirrors Sudeikis and Hunt's real-life friendship, so it will be interesting to see if the narrative reveals more about their history as Season 3 moves forward.