Few shows manage to be funny, comforting and genuinely emotional quite like Ted Lasso. What begins with an American football coach completely out of his depth in English soccer gradually becomes something much bigger – a story about friendship, second chances, unlikely leaders and people learning to believe in themselves and one another. If AFC Richmond’s lovable bunch left you wanting more, these shows like Ted Lasso deliver plenty of the same warmth.
Some take us straight back into competitive sports, while others swap the locker room for offices, schools and other dysfunctional workplaces. What connects them is optimism, found family, mentorship and characters discovering that winning isn’t always the most important part of the game.
15 Shows Like Ted Lasso for More Feel-Good Comedy & Underdog Stories
1. Stick (2025)
IMDb: 7.2/10 | Similarity: 94%
Former professional golfer Pryce Cahill’s career has long since fallen apart when he discovers Santi, a talented but troubled teenage golfer with enormous potential. Seeing one final opportunity to turn things around, Pryce decides to mentor the youngster while confronting plenty of unfinished business of his own.
This may be one of the closest recent shows like Ted Lasso, thanks to its combination of sport, mentorship, second chances and emotional comedy. Pryce and Ted are very different personalities, but both discover that helping someone else succeed can become an important part of rebuilding themselves.
Where to Watch: Apple TV
2. Shrinking (2023)
IMDb: 8.2/10 | Similarity: 92%
Grieving therapist Jimmy decides he’s had enough of carefully following the rules and starts telling his patients exactly what he thinks. His brutally direct approach creates chaos in both his professional and personal life while his colleagues, friends and family try to keep him from completely falling apart.
There’s no football here, but the emotional DNA feels remarkably familiar. Like Ted Lasso, Shrinking uses sharp comedy to explore grief, vulnerability, friendship and damaged people slowly becoming an unconventional family.
Where to Watch: Apple TV
3. Running Point (2025)
IMDb: 7.3/10 | Similarity: 91%
Isla Gordon unexpectedly finds herself running her family’s professional basketball franchise after her brother is forced to step away. Suddenly responsible for players, executives and relatives who aren’t entirely convinced she belongs there, Isla must prove that she’s capable of leading the organization.
For anyone specifically looking for sports-based shows like Ted Lasso, this is an easy recommendation. Both series follow underestimated outsiders taking charge of professional sports organizations while gradually earning respect through unconventional leadership.
Also Read: 15 Shows like Running Point
Where to Watch: Netflix
4. Acapulco (2021)
IMDb: 7.8/10 | Similarity: 89%
Young Máximo Gallardo lands what appears to be his dream job at Acapulco’s glamorous Las Colinas resort in the 1980s. He quickly discovers that working in paradise is considerably more complicated than enjoying it, especially when ambition, romance, family and workplace politics begin colliding.
Acapulco shares one of Ted Lasso’s greatest strengths: an almost stubborn belief that kindness doesn’t have to mean weakness. Both turn colorful workplaces into communities filled with lovable characters whose relationships eventually become more important than their jobs.
Where to Watch: Apple TV
5. Chad Powers (2025)
IMDb: 7.5/10 | Similarity: 87%
After destroying his promising football career, talented quarterback Russ Holliday creates the bizarre alter ego Chad Powers and secretly joins the struggling South Georgia Catfish. His attempt at a comeback becomes increasingly complicated as his new teammates begin accepting the person he is pretending to be.
The comedy is broader and more chaotic than Ted Lasso, but the connection is strong: football, a struggling team, redemption and someone desperately looking for another chance. Both stories ultimately ask whether being part of the right team can help someone become a better version of themselves.
Where to Watch: JioHotstar
6. Welcome to Wrexham (2022)
IMDb: 8.3/10 | Similarity: 86%
Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney purchase Welsh football club Wrexham AFC despite having plenty to learn about running a professional team. The documentary series follows the club, its players and the deeply invested community surrounding it through victories, painful setbacks and an extraordinary attempt to climb the football pyramid.
It may be unscripted, but few shows like Ted Lasso capture the emotional relationship between a football club and its community quite as powerfully. The underdog spirit, passionate supporters and belief that a team can mean much more than results make the similarities impossible to miss.
Where to Watch: JioHotstar
7. Trying (2020)
IMDb: 8.0/10 | Similarity: 84%
Nikki and Jason desperately want to become parents, but after struggling to conceive, they decide to pursue adoption. What follows is a funny and deeply emotional journey involving family, friends, social workers and their own doubts about whether they’re ready for parenthood.
There are no stadiums or locker rooms, yet Trying carries the same comforting British warmth that makes Ted Lasso so easy to love. Both celebrate imperfect people, supportive relationships and the determination to keep going when life refuses to follow the plan.
Where to Watch: Apple TV
8. The English Game (2020)
IMDb: 7.6/10 | Similarity: 82%
Set during the early days of organized football in 19th-century England, the series follows players from very different social backgrounds as the sport begins transforming from an upper-class pastime into the game eventually loved by millions.
For viewers whose favorite part of Ted Lasso is football itself, The English Game offers a very different but fascinating companion. Both use the sport to explore class, teamwork, community and how football can bring together people who might otherwise have very little in common.
Where to Watch: Netflix
9. The Paper (2025)
IMDb: 6.9/10 | Similarity: 80%
A struggling local newspaper gets an unexpected shot at survival when an enthusiastic new editor arrives determined to bring it back to life. Unfortunately, his newsroom is populated by an eccentric group of employees who aren’t necessarily prepared for his ambitions.
Swap AFC Richmond for a failing newspaper and you’ll understand why this belongs among shows like Ted Lasso. Both feature earnest leaders walking into struggling organizations and attempting to turn a mismatched collection of personalities into something resembling a team.
Where to Watch: JioHotstar
10. Friday Night Lights (2006)
IMDb: 8.7/10 | Similarity: 79%
In the football-obsessed town of Dillon, Texas, Coach Eric Taylor leads a high-school team carrying the expectations of an entire community. Away from the field, players and their families deal with relationships, ambition, disappointment and the enormous pressure of deciding who they want to become.
Coach Taylor is far more serious than Ted, but both understand that coaching is ultimately about people rather than scoreboards. Leadership, mentorship, community and helping players grow beyond the game give the two series a powerful emotional connection.
Where to Watch: Prime Video
11. Mythic Quest (2020)
IMDb: 7.6/10 | Similarity: 77%
The eccentric employees behind one of the world’s biggest multiplayer video games struggle to keep their creation successful while dealing with enormous egos, creative disagreements and increasingly complicated personal relationships.
Among the workplace shows like Ted Lasso, Mythic Quest offers a more cynical and chaotic alternative. But underneath the arguments is the same idea of flawed coworkers gradually becoming people who genuinely care about one another.
Where to Watch: Apple TV
12. Parks and Recreation (2009)
IMDb: 8.6/10 | Similarity: 76%
Endlessly enthusiastic public servant Leslie Knope is determined to improve her small Indiana town, even when bureaucracy, eccentric residents and her own coworkers make every seemingly simple project unnecessarily difficult.
Leslie and Ted share one particularly irresistible quality: they keep believing in people even when everyone else has given up. Both shows turn relentless optimism, workplace friendships and lovable supporting characters into comedy that becomes surprisingly emotional.
Where to Watch: JioHotstar
13. Abbott Elementary (2021)
IMDb: 8.2/10 | Similarity: 75%
A group of dedicated teachers works at an underfunded Philadelphia public school where limited resources make their already difficult jobs even harder. Despite constant obstacles, idealistic teacher Janine Teagues remains determined to make things better for her students.
If Ted’s positivity is what made you love the series, Abbott Elementary should feel instantly comfortable. Both center on optimistic people trying to improve imperfect institutions while slowly building supportive communities around themselves.
Where to Watch: JioHotstar
14. A League of Their Own (2022)
IMDb: 7.6/10 | Similarity: 74%
Set during World War II, the series follows women joining a newly created professional baseball league and navigating competition, friendship, prejudice and complicated personal lives while pursuing an opportunity to play professionally.
The shared sports setting is only part of the connection. Like Ted Lasso, the series is ultimately about outsiders finding confidence, friendship and belonging through a team that gradually becomes its own kind of family.
Where to Watch: Prime Video
15. Sports Night (1998)
IMDb: 8.3/10 | Similarity: 72%
Behind the scenes of a nightly sports television program, anchors, producers and executives deal with demanding deadlines, professional rivalries and messy personal relationships while trying to put together a successful show every evening.
It’s one of the oldest recommendations here, but its combination of sports, idealistic characters, witty workplace comedy and genuine affection between coworkers gives it surprisingly strong Ted Lasso energy. It’s especially worth trying if the workplace relationships mattered to you as much as the football.
Where to Watch: Apple TV
What makes Ted Lasso special isn’t simply football or comedy – it’s the belief that people can change when someone gives them patience, encouragement and a little faith. The best shows like Ted Lasso capture that same feeling in very different ways. Do let us know which ones you loved the most.Â