Why did Apple TV+’s ‘Ted Lasso’ do a Christmas episode in August?

Why, in mid-August, is the latest installment of Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso comedy series, “Carol Of The Bells,” a Christmas episode?

Erik Adams for AV Club:

From a practical standpoint, “Carol Of The Bells” exists because, after the Ted Lasso writers’ room finished plotting 10 episodes for season two, Apple extended its order to 12. In a quintessential example of on-the-fly television shot-calling, a pair of standalone episodes were hatched, including one set during Christmastime that was meant, as writer Joe Kelly told the Los Angeles Times, to fill the space between “when shit goes down and is about to go down.”

Another quote from that Times article caught my eye, this one from “Carol Of The Bells” director Declan Lowney: “It’s such a dangerous area, when you’re on the edge of schmaltz the entire time.” Couldn’t the same be said of any given Ted Lasso episode? It’s a generally feel-good show that exists in the Venn diagram overlap of two generally feel-good genres: Sitcom and sports comedy. It’s a portrait of radical kindness in a hostile world whose central figure lives by the credo “Be curious, not judgmental.” They got Marcus Mumford to do the music, for crying out loud.

Ted Lasso knows the edge of schmaltz like Ted and Beard know Kansas City barbecue joints. And “Carol Of The Bells” is extremely comfortable on that edge…

MacDailyNews Take: Caution, spoilers in the full article!

If you haven’t seen it, watch it here. We enjoyed the little break of Ted‘s Christmas in August – now, back to the pitch!