Turns out, Ted Lasso isn’t just about soccer (sorry, football) and feel-good vibes—it’s been low-key channeling The Wizard of Oz this whole time. Yep, that’s right. Brett Goldstein, aka Roy Kent (grumpy, growly, and glorious), just confirmed a fan theory that makes the whole thing click faster than Dorothy’s ruby slippers.
Fans have been side-eyeing the show’s Kansas connections for years, what with Ted Lasso hailing from Dorothy’s home state and rocking red sneakers like he’s about to skip down a yellow brick road. And guess what? They were spot on.
In a chat with Entertainment Weekly, Goldstein, the man who plays Roy Kent and moonlights as a writer on the show, spilled the tea: Ted Lasso and The Wizard of Oz are basically cinematic soulmates. “Oh yeah, there’s loads of The Wizard of Oz in Ted Lasso,” Brett said, casually dropping a truth bomb. “The pinball machine is always going on about how ‘Ted has to go home. There’s no place like home.’ And obviously, there’s no place like Richmond F.C. either. Duh.”
But hold onto your flying monkeys, because the real kicker came when Brett started matching up the characters. Turns out, Ted (Jason Sudeikis) is Dorothy—although he’s more about biscuits than little dogs. Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) is the Lion, which honestly makes sense because she’s bold, fierce, and occasionally just wants a cuddle. Roy? Tin Man. Because underneath all the “OY!” and grunts, there’s a soft, gooey heart. And Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster)? He’s the Scarecrow. Whether it’s because he’s working on growing a brain or just because he looks like he belongs in a field, we’ll let you decide.
“I’m sure this is going to cause a lot of trouble,” Brett joked, likely imagining the internet exploding into debates about whether Nate is Toto or one of the Munchkins.
Ted Lasso is The Wizard of Oz, but with fewer witches and way more biscuits. Now, if someone could just tell us who the Wicked Witch of the West is supposed to be… (Rupert, we’re looking at you.)
