The production crew behind the Apple TV+ sports comedy Ted Lasso recently revealed a ton of behind-the-scenes info about the making of the show.
Production Designer Paul Cripps even made an unexpected comparison: Ted Lasso draws some inspiration from The West Wing.
Cripps revealed when he first read the script, it instantly reminded him of the iconic political drama because of the “walk-and-talks.”
“A lot of the conversations were happening in corridors, walking between rooms,” explained Cripps.
As the production designer, Cripps needed to create a set that flowed naturally to make shooting easy.
“I wanted to give the camera the opportunity to move through different rooms in the set without having to cut. So all those training center rooms are interlinked, to give smooth passage,” revealed Cripps. ““It was about creating a space where the cameras and the actors could work 360 degrees.”
Of course, creating easy-to-traverse sets wasn’t the only challenge for Ted Lasso. Fans of the series undoubtedly noticed a certain iconic Disney tune made its way onto the show.
“With it being a Disney catalogue song…they’re very particular about using their songs in shows that are not Disney,” said Tony Von Pervieux, Music Supervisor.
He explained Disney originally denied Ted Lasso’s request to use the Frozen tune “Let It Go.” The series shot two versions of those scenes, just in case – one with the Disney tune and one with an alternate song.
“Once we shot it, I was able to send it to them and get that denial reversed,” explained Von Pervieux.
(In case you’re wondering, the backup song was “I Will Survive.”)
You can learn a ton more about the making of Ted Lasso by checking out the crew interviews below. In addition to Cripps and Von Pervieux, you’ll hear from Casting Director Theo Park on how little known actor Christo Fernández landed the role of Dani Rojas. Plus, learn about the show’s visual effects from VFX Supervisor Lawson Deming and editing from Melissa McCoy and A.J. Catoline.
You can stream the first season of Ted Lasso on Apple TV+ now. Season 2 arrives July 23.