Believe

From The New York Times's Jeremy Egner, the definitive book on Ted Lasso.

When Ted Lasso first aired in 2020, nobody-including those who had worked on it-knew how a show inspired by an ad, centered around soccer, filled mostly with unknown actors, and led by a wondrously mustachioed "nice guy" would be received. Eleven Emmys and one Peabody Award later, it's safe to say that the show's status as a pop-culture phenomenon is secure.

In Believe, entertainment journalist and Ted Lasso fan Jeremy Egner traces the show's creation and legacy through the words of the people at its center. Drawing on dozens of interviews from key cast, creators, and more, Believe takes readers from the first, silly NBC Premier League commercial to the pitch to Apple executives, then into the show's writers' room, through the brilliant international casting, and on to the unforgettable set and locations of the show itself.

Brimming with careful reporting and written to match the show's heart and humor, Believe tells a story of teamwork, of hidden talent, of a group of friends looking around at the world's increasingly nasty discourse and deciding that maybe simple decency still has the power to bring us together-a story about what happens when you dare to believe.

Auteur

Jeremy Egner is a veteran pop-culture journalist in New York City. He is currently the television editor at The New York Times, where over the years he has written about era-defining series like The Sopranos, The Wire, Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Game of Thrones, and, of course, Ted Lasso. Born and raised in the Dallas area, he graduated from the University of Texas and began writing about music and culture at the Austin American-Statesman in Austin, Texas. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and daughter. He's no soccer expert but does understand the offside rule. It's actually not that complicated.