Opinion In a world full of Logan Roys, try to be a Ted Lasso

All of this is, of course, make-believe. But what makes these exaggerated plotlines so delightful is the fact that they are based on entirely believable premises. Succession creates a credible world of multinational corporations and nation-shaping billionaires and then ridicules its pomposity. The one-upmanship and overt machismo that have come to define real-life corporate values, become the target of satire. The never-give-up mindset and hustle culture that business leaders love to promote, is deliciously perverted by the show as the Roys stop at nothing in their family feud for power and glory. It is Logan Roy’s character, however, that is the show’s masterstroke. Taking every trait that defines successful honchos, the show crafts a genius, a businessman par excellence and a cold-blooded, remorseless model of success that everyone around him seeks to emulate. In fact, so perfectly does Logan Roy embody the ideal corporate tycoon that he barely exhibits any sign of humanity — he is, in other words, the exact opposite of Ted Lasso.

The first season of Ted Lasso aired in 2020, when the world was grappling with the horrors of the Covid-19 pandemic. Perhaps the timing of its release helped its unbridled positivity appear endearing rather than corny. Or maybe we just needed a healthy dollop of optimism in these grim, cynical times. Whatever the reason, this show about a clueless American coaching a football team in England won the hearts of critics and viewers alike. In its runtime of three seasons, it has tackled issues ranging from mental health to racism, from sexism to sexual choice and privacy, in the context of a sport that frequently finds itself on the wrong side of the pitch when it comes to these subjects. Like Succession, Ted Lasso, at its heart, is also an exploration of how human character can be shaped by adversity — only the two shows choose to head off in contrary directions.

If Logan Roy is the epitome of placing self-interest above everything else, Ted Lasso is all about celebrating community. (The fictional football club, AFC Richmond, is not a team but a family — a cliché that is made convincing by the infectious bonhomie of the cast.) If Logan Roy believes that success demands ruthlessness, Ted Lasso achieves it through kindness. Where Logan provokes the worst instincts in his children, Ted urges his players to be the best versions of themselves.

In a recent interview, Jason Sudeikis (the actor who created and played Ted Lasso) spoke about how an earlier version of the character was “belligerent” and how the “culture we were living in” compelled him to re-evaluate the Ted Lasso he wanted to present to the world. “I hated how people weren’t listening to one another”, he said, “Things became very binary and I don’t think that’s the way the world works… I just didn’t want to portray it”. And so, in place of belligerence, he chose decency.

As Sudeikis’s own life bears testimony, the inexhaustible niceness of Lasso may not always be replicable in real life. The “utopia” of Richmond may seem far removed from the fragmented, unequal society we live in today. But that is precisely what makes its message of compassion and caring, all the more relevant. Politics and business in today’s age have far too many people who are seduced by Logan Roy’s autocratic, hyper-masculine brand of leadership. Such win-at-all-cost strategies may make for great television but in the real world, they promise an ominous future. In a world filled with Logans, then, perhaps being a Lasso could help us find a way to a gentler and happier future.

The writer is a Mumbai-based lawyer