A dude on Twitter made a thread where he cast Ted Lasso characters into Lord of the Rings. He did it (mostly) badly. I’m fixing it.
Ted Lasso: Frodo Baggins. This is a gimme, even if his sunny demeanor might lend itself more readily to Samwise’s indomitable spirit. He’s the main character, and ultimately the burden is his to bear.
Coach Beard: Samwise Gamgee. Frodo’s trusty friend, following him into insanity and back, always there to lend a hand, wisdom, or some muscle. And in Beard’s case, by muscle I mean a shrill yell or strange piece of information.
Dr. Sharon Fieldstone: Gandalf the Grey. This one took me a while…longer than I’m happy to admit. But as the resident voice of wisdom and guidance, showing up when characters need them, it’s pretty obvious now. I originally had Roy Kent as Gandalf (because he’s old!) but Dr. Sharon is too perfect to mess up for a cheap joke.
Rebecca Welton: Bilbo Baggins. Her selfishness set this whole thing in motion, she is by all accounts a good person corrupted by power and her own inner desires, and her friends show up in odd places to further the plot.
Leslie Higgins and Nate Shelley: Merry and Pippin. I don’t care which is which. They’re the Diamond Dogs, they’re obviously hobbits with Ted/Frodo and Beard/Sam. The original thread implied Nate is Gollum, and while that does seem to be where the writers are taking his character (what is up with Nate this season?!), obviously…
Rupert Mannion: Gollum. AFC Richmond is his precious. I’m actually mad at the original poster for missing this that badly.
Isaac McAdoo: Ent. He’s big, he’s strong, and he’s very…very…slow. Also, throwing TVs is the Ted Lasso equivalent to the scene in LOTR where they destroy Isengard, which I originally spelled “Isengaard” because of too much Norse mythology on the brain.
Dani Rojas: Legolas. The hair, the skill, it rhymes.
Colin Hughes: Gimli. There’s something a little off about Colin, and he seems to hold on to grudges/have issues with his size. The original thread has Isaac as Gimli, and I get that. If he wasn’t so obviously an Ent, he would be the choice here. However, the writers have determined Colin is a main part of the team, and since all other members of the Fellowship are accounted for, here we are.
Jamie Tartt: Faramir. Vain, trying to honor family, makes some bad decisions but ultimately comes around to the side of good? Yeah, Jamie is Faramir.
Keeley Jones: Galadriel. This is purely a vanity selection, because all the dignity of Cate Blanchett is just *poof* gone.
Roy Kent: Elrond. Grumpy, set in his ways, old (took the cheap joke anyways, suckers), his relationship with a younger, female family member is integral to the plot…meet your Lord of Rivendell…A title which Roy Kent would absolutely hate, and that pleases me.
Earl the Greyhound: Boromir. Because, you know, he dies.
Sassy Smurf: Eowyn. Definitely doesn’t need a man, but certainly isn’t opposed to them, either.
Bumbercatch: Eomer. The leader of the Rohan calvary, he’s just kind of there to facilitate other things happening. Important, I know his name, but…meh?
Manchester City: Sauron. They’re both evil and bent on world domination.
Manchester United AFC Richmond: Gondor. Forgot what I was doing there for a moment. Win the day lads.