Ted Lasso: The Richmond Way Seasons 1-3 (Blu-ray) review

[David Vaughn]

Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: July 30, 2024
Rating: Not Rated
Film: 5/5

Plot
In a bitter divorce settlement from her billionaire husband Rupert Mannion, Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) becomes the new owner of British football club AFC Richmond. She's assisted by her Director of Football Operations, Higgins (Jeremy Swift), who formerly worked for her husband. Her first order of business is to fire the team's current manager and replace him with an idealistic all-American football coach Theodore "Ted" Lasso (Jason Sudeikis). Ted and his friend, assistant Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt) cross the pond to take up the management of the team's "long, albeit modest" history.  Ted gets to know the team - including Team Captain Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein), top scorer Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster) and more - but finds his first friend in the locker room assistant Nathan (Nick Mohammed). Half a world away from his wife and child, Ted could use a friend. But he presses on, nevertheless. Richmond is about to change the way they're doing things — and from now on — that is the Lasso way.

My Thoughts
Unfortunately, I didn’t receive this until after street date and getting a TV show watched in such a short time frame is virtually impossible, so this review is on Season 1 of the show and I’ll follow up at a later date with my thoughts on seasons 2 and 3. That being said, this is a fantastic show with excellent acting, an entertaining premise, and plenty of LOL moments. In fact, it’s one of the best comedies I’ve seen in years.

It's easy to see how the show has won 13 Emmy Awards including Outstanding Comedy Series (2021, 2022), Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for Jason Sudeikis (2021, 2022), Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for Brett Goldstein (2021, 2022), along with an Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series win for Hannah Waddingham (2021), multiple Golden Globe Awards and Critics' Choice Awards. I had heard nothing but great things about the show and it’s one of those rare cases where the hype actually meets the high expectations.
 
The film is shown in 4K on Apple TV+, so it’s no surprise that the 1080p encode looks as good as it does. Colors are vivid and accurate, detail is what you’d expect from a digitally shot source, and even the shadow detail is much better than I expected. The audio is about what you’d expect from a comedy, although there’s a lot of music involved in the storytelling and it highlights the solid audio presentation.

Video 9.5/10
Audio 8.5/10 (DTS-HD MA 5.1)

Special Features:

• “Believe” 18” x 12” Poster

Conclusion
My wife and I really enjoyed the first season and look forward to the next two. There have been rumors that a fourth season may happen, but it’s completely up to Jason Sudeikis as to whether that will happen or not. If you haven’t seen the show, definitely pick up this Blu-ray set or subscribe to Apple TV+ in order to see the show, you won’t regret it.


Reference Review System:
 JVC DLA-RS3100 4K Ultra High-Definition Front Projector
 (Calibrated with Portrait Displays CalMAN color calibration software & C6-HDR Meter from Portrait Displays)
 Stewart Filmscreen - Firehawk 110” 2.35:1 Screen
 Trinnov Altitude 16 Audio/Video Processor
 ATI AT527NC Powering Bed Channels
 ATI AT524NC Powering Atmos Speakers
 Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra HD Blu-ray Player
 System Controller: URC MX-990
 M&K S-150 THX Ultra (R-C-L Speakers)
 M&K SS-150 x4 (Surround Speakers)
 Atlantic Technology IC6-OBA x 4 Overhead Speakers
 Dual Rythmik FV15HP2
 Mini DSP HD controlling all subwoofers
 Audioquest and Monoprice - Audio/Video/Speaker Cabling
 PureAV PF60 Power Conditioner

[Paul Heroy]

Loved it. There is some unevenness especially in the 3rd season - and be aware it gets progressively more woke (pun slightly intended), though I think they - as usual - pulled off a positive execution. Definitely in for a season 4 if Sudeikis is and they can make it work. (It better be up to standards or Roy Kent will speak some very specific words for me. )