Warning: Spoiler ahead for season three, episode three of Ted Lasso.
Ted Lasso is a show all about embracing the power of positivity, and treating people with kindness amongst other uplifting messaging, yet despite this, there has been very little LGBTQ+ representation. That has changed in the show’s third season as they have finally introduced us to their first LGBTQ+ character and potential storyline.
The lack of LGBTQ+ representation in the show up until now has been discussed by fans in the past. It isn’t as if it doesn’t exist in the world of football; the topic has garnered a lot of press and coverage, especially after the World Cup was held in Qatar, a country that has made homosexuality between men illegal. In recent years, more footballers have come out as members of the LGBTQ+ community, with one of the more recent examples being England footballer Jake Daniels who came out last year.
It makes sense then to include these kinds of stories and characters within the show, and now they finally have. In episode three of the third season, titled 4-5-1, the episode opens with Colin Hughes (Billy Harris), one of the AFC Richmond players, waking up and heading downstairs for breakfast before being greeted by another man, Michael, who kisses him before he heads out for the day.
Their relationship and whether they’re long term partners or newly together isn’t made entirely clear, but it does set up the premise, especially since it seems that none of Colin’s teammates know of his sexual orientation. Later on in the show, the team is making jokes about the recent teammate Zava’s level of attractiveness, with Colin stating “I’ll have sex with Zava” which is only met with laughter, as his teammates assume that he is just carrying on the joke. Later on in the episode, Colin and Michael are caught making out by Trent Crimm the sports journalist, and we can only assume that this is a setup for the story to develop over this season.
LGBTQ+ issues are still fraught in the world of professional male sports, where there is an intense amount of pressure and expectation from male athletes to look and behave a certain way. We hope that going forward Ted Lasso can portray this story well, highlighting the difficulties but also leaving us with a positive message of inclusion by the end.
Catch new episodes of Ted Lasso every Wednesday on Apple TV Plus.