Ted Lasso is definitely one of the best shows on Apple TV+ right now, with the Emmy awards to prove it. Although the future of the Jason Sudeikis-led series is unknown, it is still a smash hit. In fact, it's such a big part of the zeitgeist now, that it got name-dropped on The White Lotus. Now the football-centric show's co-creator Bill Lawrence is reacting to the surprise mention.
During Season 2 of The White Lotus, Aubrey Plaza’s Harper was asked about her thoughts on the Apple TV+ comedy. Unfortunately, she said that she doesn’t watch the series. Luckily, Bill Lawrence didn’t take it to heart, as he told /Film that as a TV nerd, he loves when shows reference his work, even when it’s not in a particularly good way:
I remember when Seth [MacFarlane] on 'Family Guy' was taking shots at 'Scrubs' and then on 'Community,' Dan Harmon had Abed (Danny Pudi), who loved 'Cougar Town.' So I think it's so fun because, at heart, I'm a nerd. I love TV. I watch it constantly. So as a fan nerd of that show and of Mike White, I was like, 'Yeah!' It doesn't mean I want to see people making jokes in every show next week, but 'Community' is a good example. I'll give everybody a cool Easter egg to go look for.
Bill Lawrence is no stranger to shows referencing his own series, as he’s responsible for Scrubs, Spin City, Clone High, Cougar Town, Ground Floor, and Rush Hour, with credits on Boy Meets World, The Nanny, Friends, and plenty more. It just comes with the territory. Even though the Ted Lasso mention on The White Lotus wasn’t exactly in the show’s favor, it was pretty on par for Aubrey Plaza’s character. I just wonder if the show will drop any more mentions moving forward.
Meanwhile, Lawrence has other new projects that may have reference potential, with the cast of Shrinking, including Jason Segel and Harrison Ford, joining Ted Lasso on Apple TV+. Also, the Vince Vaughn-led series from Lawrence Bad Monkey will join the two shows at an unknown time. So, make sure you sign up for an Apple TV+ subscription so you can see why Lawrence is basically turning into the Taylor Sheridan of the Apple TV+.
Since The White Lotus is an anthology series, it usually has a whole new cast each season, with a few exceptions. A cast for the third season hasn’t been announced yet, but it would be entertaining to see a Ted Lasso star picked for the series and maybe even make things super meta with another reference to the comedy. It’s hard to tell who will be starring in Season 3 and what the storyline will be, so you never know what could happen.
This likely won’t be the only Ted Lasso reference that will be made on TV, and I’m curious to see what the next one will be and whether it will compare to the mentions of Bill Lawrence's other hit shows. Overall, this little namedrop just means that he’s doing something right.
If you want to see the reference for yourself, make sure you have an HBO Max subscription so you can watch the first two seasons of The White Lotus. Check out CinemaBlend’s 2023 TV schedule to see what’s coming to television soon and what shows may name-drop Jason Sudeikis’ beloved character next.
