“Ted Lasso” co-creator Bill Lawrence is just happy to be working, let alone have his heartwarming Apple TV+ comedy snag a pair of (well-deserved) Golden Globe nominations.
“We’re all so grateful for the gig, dude, that if anyone nominates you for anything you have to be happy about it,” Lawrence told TheWrap on Wednesday. “It’s very cool, unexpected, not anything we were angling for.”
He’s also perfectly happy with the first season of “Ted Lasso” being in the company of “Schitt’s Creek’s” acclaimed final season, which may be his stiffest competition in the Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy category.
The man behind “Scrubs” called the Levy Family (we’re including honorary members and fellow deserving nominees Catherine O’Hara and Annie Murphy in that) sitcom “endearingly charming and buoyant and upbeat” — adjectives that certainly apply to “Ted Lasso” as well.
“I don’t mind at all when people talk about ‘Ted Lasso’ and in the same breath talk about ‘Schitt’s Creek.’ I’m sure we all feel flattered by it,” Lawrence said in our phone conversation following the Globes news.
With Lawrence captive, we had two key “Ted Lasso” questions for him. First, what is the recipe for Lasso’s (played by newly minted Golden Globes nominee Jason Sudeikis) biscuits?
Lawrence would not give that up. Fine. Then what’s the latest production status on Season 2, which is currently shooting in the U.K., a region even more shutdown than Hollywood?
“I don’t know if it’s just luck or it’s a testament to a crew being really careful, but [Season 2] has been in steady production for a while now,” Lawrence said. “We’re starting to shoot the fourth and fifth episodes and haven’t had to stop and restart yet. Fingers crossed.”
Consider ours crossed, Bill.
Season 2 production on Warner Bros.’ “Ted Lasso” is scheduled through April, Lawrence said.
As far as a premiere date, Lawrence said he expects Apple TV+ will aim to roll out Season 2 at the same time of year as Season 1 debuted. “Ted Lasso” Season 1 premiered on Aug. 14, 2020, when Apple TV+ made the freshman sitcom’s first three episodes available to subscribers. The subsequent seven episodes rolled out one at a time over the next seven Fridays.