After claiming last year’s prize for Best Comedy Actor, Jason Sudeikis is looking to grab back-to-back wins in the category for his performance as the title character in the second season of Apple TV Plus‘ “Ted Lasso.”
His submission this year is “No Weddings and a Funeral,” the 10th episode of the season. As the coaching crew of AFC Richmond learns of the passing of Rebecca’s (Hannah Waddingham) father, Ted says that he hopes wherever he is in death, he hopes that he’s happy. As he gets ready for the funeral (while dancing to “Easy Lover” by Phil Collins and Philip Bailey), Ted has another panic attack and calls Dr. Fieldstone (Sarah Niles) and asks her to come over to his place.
When Dr. Fieldstone arrives, she finds the apartment is a mess and Ted with his head in his hands. Ted explains that he didn’t go to the funeral of his father, who took his own life, because he believes he quit on his family and he hates him for that. He recounts the day it happened, how he heard the gunshot, discovered his body and then had to call his mom to tell her to come home from work.
Dr. Fieldstone then asks Ted to recall something good about his dad. He remembers how, when he was in fifth grade, he had neglected to do the assigned reading of “Johnny Tremain” and was going to have a test on it. When he broke down and admitted to his dad he hadn’t read it, his father told him to go to bed. The next morning his dad drove him to school while explaining the entire book to him and Ted aced the test. Ted reflects that he was a good dad and he didn’t think he knew it. He says that he “was never going to let anybody get by without understanding they might be hurting inside.” He asks Dr. Fieldstone for a hug and asks if he’ll be charged for the house call.
Ted arrives late to the funeral right as Rebecca starts giving her eulogy. When she gets choked up reciting the lyrics to “Never Gonna Give You Up,” Ted helps bring the entire church into the song. At the reception, he apologizes to Rebecca for being late and admires her father for still knowing the “Make ‘Em Laugh” routine from “Singin’ in the Rain.”
This is the sixth career Emmy nomination for Sudeikis. He won this category and Comedy Series last year as well as getting two writing nominations. This year he’s once again up for Comedy Series as the co-creator and executive producer of the show. His acting competition includes two former winners, Bill Hader (“Barry”) and Donald Glover (“Atlanta”), as well as two comedy legends in Steve Martin and Martin Short (“Only Murders in the Building”) and first-time nominee Nicholas Hoult (“The Great”).
This episode is about as perfect a submission as you could possibly make. Sudeikis gets to show incredible range but, most importantly, he gets to show Ted at the most vulnerable we’ve ever seen him. Watching him go from anger about his dad’s suicide to happily remembering the “Johnny Tremain” event feels like you’re actually watching someone make a breakthrough in therapy.
It also doesn’t hurt that “No Weddings and a Funeral” is one that Emmy voters responded to across the board, scoring nominations for Comedy Directing, Comedy Writing, Comedy Editing and Contemporary Hairstyling.
This article is a part of Gold Derby’s “Emmy nominee profile” series spotlighting the 2022 acting contenders.
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