When Ted Lasso Returned, We Thought We’d Said Goodbye
We thought we said goodbye to lovable goof Ted Lasso back in 2023, but he’s returned for a surprise fourth season on Apple TV. Jason Sudeikis is, of course, back as the title character, an American college football coach hired by Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) to coach her Richmond football club, despite his lack of experience with the sport. Having won the team in a messy divorce, she figured Ted was destined to ruin the franchise her ex-husband loved so much.
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Of course, we all know how that went: Ted (and the team) persevered, mostly thanks to his unrelenting good nature and belief in others. If you are looking for more streaming shows with the same can-do spirit, here are 10 to consider—not all of them having anything to do with sports, because in 2026, we need to take joy and inspiration wherever we can find it.
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Chad Powers: A Charismatic Comeback Story
One minute, Russ Holliday (series star and co-creator Glen Powell) is the biggest name in collegiate football, with a future that couldn’t be brighter. The next, he’s fumbled a touchdown and shoved a fan into a wheelchair-bound cancer patient. Not great! Eight years later, he’s looking for a comeback and, with shades of Mrs. Doubtfire, he reinvents himself via prosthetics and a wig as the title’s Chad Powers, a charmingly naive athlete who signs on to the football team at a tiny Georgia college.
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It’s a goofy premise, but Powell’s performance sells it, and the show becomes more engaging as Russ/Chad is forced to ask himself whether this new persona is a total con, or the person he’d actually like to be. With its offbeat humor and heartwarming moments, Chad Powers is a show that will leave you cheering for more.
Other Shows That Share the Same Can-Do Spirit
- Parks and Recreation (2009 – 2015): Amy Poehler stars as Leslie Knope, a can-do go-getter in the sleepy town of Pawnee, Indiana. Irrepressibly perky, she’s the deputy director of the local Parks and Rec Department, with ambitions that extend to the White House.
- A Man on the Inside (2024 – ): Another well-loved TV celebrity stars in a lightly satirical comedy that’s a bit more plot-oriented than a typical sitcom. Ted Danson plays Charles Nieuwendyk, a hapless retired professor and recent widower who listens to his daughter’s plea that he find something to keep him occupied.
- Somebody Somewhere (2022 – 2024): Bridget Everett plays Sam Miller, a woman struggling to find her new direction after moving back to her hometown to care for her dying sister (don’t worry: there’s plenty of comedy in the drama, and it’s not as heavy as it sounds).
More Inspirational Shows to Watch
- Haikyu!! (2014 – 2020): One of the best and most beloved anime series of the past decade-and-change happens to be a reasonably good match for Ted Lasso, even while it concerns a high school volleyball team in Japan.
- Shrinking (2023 – ): A fun, funny, occasionally serious dramedy (vibe-match here, even if the setting is very different), Shrinking stars Jason Segal as cognitive behavioral therapist Jimmy Laird, who’s been in a depression spiral since the death of his wife a year before the show opens.
- Welcome to Wrexham (2022 – ): Almost certainly inspired by Ted Lasso, this (mostly) lighthearted docu-series follows the fortunes of Wrexham A.F.C., a Welsh professional association football club that has seen better days, despite being one of the oldest clubs in the world.
Other Shows That Share the Same Inspirational Spirit
- Abbott Elementary (2021 – ): Quickly establishing itself as one of the great workplace mockumentaries, Quinta Brunson’s Abbott Elementary portrays its cast of (mostly) well-meaning characters running up against an American educational system that doesn’t always reward good intentions.
- Rooster (2026 – ): The world of Rooster is a bit darker than that of Ted Lasso (this is more of a comedy-drama), but we’re still playing in a similar sandbox. Greg Russo (Steve Carell) is the author of a series of popular, but critically dismissed, detective novels.
- Friday Night Lights (2006 – 2011): A show that survived on viewer affection and critical acclaim more than ratings (at a time when such a thing was still possible), Friday Night Lights ran for five seasons without ever being a particularly big hit—but it’s had an impressive afterlife.
