Brett Goldstein confirms a fan theory stating that The Wizard of Oz heavily inspired Ted Lasso.
With Wicked smashing at the box office, the theory that the Apple TV+ comedy is a modern retelling of L. Frank Baum’s classic has resurfaced.
“Oh yeah, there’s loads and loads of The Wizard of Oz in Ted Lasso,” Goldstein, writer and star of the show, told Entertainment Weekly. “The pinball machine is the one that’s always ‘Ted has to go home. There’s no place like home.’ And then, there’s no place like Richmond F.C. Yes, that’s all Wizard of Oz.”
Goldstein also revealed who each character was modeled after, saying that his character Roy Kent was the Tin Man, Jason Sudeikis’ Ted was Dorothy, Hannah Waddingham’s Rebecca was the Lion and Phil Dunster’s Jamie was the Scarecrow.
“I’m sure this is going to cause a lot of trouble,” he added.
Ted Lasso premiered in 2020 and quickly became a critically acclaimed darling. The first season made Emmy history as the most nominated first-year comedy, where it ultimately took home seven awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series.
The show had been thought to have concluded after three seasons on Apple TV+ but a fourth season could still be in the works. Deadline reported exclusively in August of this year that Apple and Warner Bros. TV had picked up the options of several key UK cast members.
In an interview with Bill Lawrence, the co-creator hinted that Sudeikis would have to make a decision about the fourth season.
“Jason Sudeikis, is the voice, heart, driving factor behind the show, not only professionally, but on a personal level, that’s the dude whose life gets upended and who would be making the biggest sacrifices,” he said. “The only sure bet in Hollywood is that nobody involved with Ted Lasso will ever, ever speak about it until Jason makes his decision of who he wants to talk to and what he wants to tell.”
