Between Escapism and Social Engagement: Ted Lasso and the Privileges of Comfort Viewing in 2020

Abstract

During the hectic context of 2020 America, television became a salve for many, while an increased middle-class emphasis on staying at home to mitigate COVID-19 spread softly benefited streaming services’ bottom lines. Ted Lasso (AppleTV+, 2020-2023) was beloved for its positive outlook and comforting tone during these unsettled times. This paper discusses three “discursive mantras” which white Ted Lasso fans deploy in interviews about the series, and argues that fans use these to code their engagement with television as acceptable and necessary. In their description of the series’ impact, white fans use Ted Lasso as an escape, but also as a way of thinking through the nation’s political, racial, and medical crises. In so doing, they reveal the position of white comfort viewers during the early pandemic, a group who are living through vast cultural unrest but privileged enough to be soothed by television.