‘This is going to be dodgy’: Ted Lasso actor reveals he had major doubts the show would go on to be such a success

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Ted Lasso wasn't always a sure hit, as one star of the show tells FFT

One Ted Lasso star has told FourFourTwo that he thought the Apple show was going to be "dodgy" after first arriving on set. 

Tom Parry plays Ray, a supporter of the fictional AFC Richmond, who Lasso takes over as manager in the hit show. Parry's moment comes in 'The Hope That Kills You', the final episode of the first season.

While Ted Lasso has gone on to become a global success, other TV programmes about football clubs have been less popular – and Parry says that when he appeared in the show, he didn't think it would go on to become the behemoth that is now.

Ted Lasso

Ted Lasso has gone on to become a huge success (Image credit: AppleTV+)

“I turned up at Selhurst Park and they put me in, effectively, a Crystal Palace fan’s gear,” says Parry. “I took pictures of myself and said to my mate, ‘This is going to be dodgy, this show’.

“I went home and thought, ‘Well, that’s going to be weird and ropey’. And then I found out that Brett Goldstein’s writing on it, and he’s in it, and he’s got a great track record. ‘Oh, OK...’ And then it became a global phenomenon.”

It's a good job that Parry trusted Goldstein. Lasso has gone on to win Golden Globes and might just be the best football-related TV show for years.

So much for "ropey"…

Mark White
Mark White
Content Editor

Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn't receive a winners' medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson's season at Barcelona to Robinho's career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.