When I first saw the trailer for Ted Lasso (AppleTV), I cringed. The quick-cut glimpses of the show made it look like a low-brow comedy with high-concept “the jokes will write themselves” laziness. But I’m a sports fan and an Anglophile to boot, so the prospect of a show with the premise of an American football coach heading to the UK to coach a s̶o̶c̶c̶e̶r̶ AHEM football team meant I had to at least give it a shot - and I’m glad I did.
Ted Lasso is a wonderful comedy about a goofball coach - but he’s not a dimwit. On the contrary, Lasso is an astute observer of human nature and the subtle cultural differences between the US and the UK. His banter with his assistant coach is a joyous rapid-fire stream of self-deprecation, wit, inside jokes, and laser sharp awareness. That’s what makes Lasso an endearing character - he’s not a clueless mope regurgitating coaching clichés, but rather, a three-dimensional human whose optimism isn’t a blind and uncaring allegiance to a sunny disposition - but rather, someone who remains committed to an optimistic philosophy in spite of the trials and disappointments of life. Jason Sudeikis puts in an Emmy-nomination-worthy performance as the title character; the ensemble is packed with performers who bring a loving depth to each of their characters. The only drawback is Apple’s weekly release model. The show is binge-friendly and I wish I could’ve finished it already.
Radar Pings
The first issue of Ultraman (Marvel) starts out as a bit of a tease for the series - we meet the cast and this interpretation of the world, and just when it gets exciting - bang, cliffhanger! There’s a wonderful bonus back-up story as well.
Outcry is a 5-episode true crime documentary on Showtime and it’s one of the most compelling docs in the genre since Paradise Lost. A small Texas town is torn apart by a horrific crime - and a potential miscarriage of justice.
Finally got around to AdventureMan #1 (Image) - and I went into it knowing nothing at all. The comic makes some bold structural moves in the first issue and I found it very compelling. Can’t wait to dive into 2 and 3 to catch up.
Holy **** the DUNE trailer didn’t disappoint.
New Podcast Episode with David Ottlinger
This week, my guest is David Ottlinger. David writes about culture and philosophy at The Electric Agora. Our discussion covers the question of why some visual effects work - and why some don’t. David has developed an interesting framework to explain why.
(Thanks to @meredithnudo for narrating the podcast!)
Tweets of the Week
Pulls of the Week
Billionaire Island #6
You Look Like Death: Tales from the Umbrella Academy #1
Stillwater #1
Iron Man #1 (Dustin Weaver variant preferred!)
Heavy #1
New Webcomic installment of “Event Fatigue”
Event Fatigue is a webcomic written by me with art by Renton Hawkey about a crusty podcast host in a comic-book multiverse. The guest this episode is “Robin.” Let us know who you’d like to see The Host interview next in the comments.