TV series ‘Ted Lasso’ shines light on parts of Kansas City

Some of the reviews for episode one of the fourth season of “Ted Lasso” weren’t all that kind. “Zero of Ted Lasso’s existing audience signed up to watch a middle aged man have a mid-life crisis in Kansas City, Missouri,” Hannah Abraham wrote for Forbes. “Incredibly little of the episode’s forty-plus minutes was about football, and in a way it’s reflective of what Ted’s life has become, but come on.”

TV Line’s Ryan Schwartz wrote: “With a runtime of roughly 45 minutes, there are stretches where the premiere feels like unnecessary table-setting.” Others enjoyed the episode, and I suspect people in Kansas City will love it. That’s because the kickoff to Season 4 is a love letter from co-creator and star Jason Sudeikis to Kansas City. From the sights and sounds to the Easter eggs, the first episode packs in all kinds of Kansas City goodness.

Here are just some of the things I noted. Ted runs into one of his former Wichita State players at his job as a grocery store assistant manager. The player notes proudly: “You forgot about that mule I stole from Central Missouri.” We got that Easter egg early in the episode. By the way, one social media user noted the store, which is clearly McKeever’s, is named “Fowch’s Fine Foods,” a throwback to a previous episode about Ted’s schoolmate, Ronnie Fowch.

Ted goes to his son’s school, Daniel Manning Elementary, which is a clear reference to former KU star Danny Manning. When the crew visits from England, he takes them to Gates Bar-B-Q and the world gets to see the greeting everyone receives at the restaurant: “Hi, may I help you!?!” That appears to be Nedra Dixon, who has done work with the KC Rep and Lyric Opera KC, delivering an iconic KC line.

During the World Cup, visiting teams that had a base camp here struggled with knowing whether they were in Kansas or Missouri. That Kansas City confusion became a running joke in “Ted Lasso.”

“I love the food in Kansas,” Rebecca says as she’s chowing down on ribs. Ted corrects her: “Well actually, we’re in Missouri right now. Kansas is just right across the street over there. It’s confusing, I know.” When Ted looks into his son’s messy bedroom, a Sporting KC “Paint The Wall” banner is visible. And the door has a Kansas license plate.

The show cuts to the InterContinental hotel on the Plaza where the English visitors are staying.

The gang reunites at Henry’s soccer game, which was held at Swope Soccer Village. “Everything in Kansas is really cushy,” Keely says to Ted’s mom. She corrects Keely: “Actually, we’re in Missouri now. Kansas City, Missouri.” Rebecca asks: “How many cities are in this city?”

Ted, his mom and his ex-wife answer in unison: “Two.” That’s a funny joke and a nod to the original Ted Lasso commercial for NBC when he asked of the United Kingdom: “How many countries are in this country?” When Henry is taken out of the game, his replacement is named “Besler,” which certainly was a subtle nod to former Sporting KC star Matt Besler.

A little later, Keely and Rebecca walk on the Plaza and see the fake “Dazzle Me Moi” store and there’s a reference to Taylor Swift. Fun fact: the actress playing the store owner is Suzanne Cryer, who was in the “Yada Yada Yada” episode on “Seinfeld.”

Meanwhile, Higgins tries to visit the American Jazz Museum, but is told there is a private event featuring bar mitzvah that is rumored to include Janelle Monáe, Ariana Grande and Bruno Mars. Monáe was born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas, so that’s another fun Easter egg. Higgins goes to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and the show spends a good chunk of time there. Actor Milan Carter did a fine job at the museum, but it seems like a missed opportunity to not have NLBM president Bob Kendrick show off the museum. As Ted’s mom has a yard sale, one of the patrons is wearing the upside Kansas City hat, which started a national trend started by KC’s Taylor Webb. Later, we see Ted get a box of books and there is one about the Kansas men’s basketball team.

Tribune News Service