By Randi Altman

If you are one of the few who hasn’t seen Apple TV+’s feel-good series Ted Lasso, here is a very quick rundown without giving too much away: An American college football coach from the Midwest is recruited to manage a European football club in England (long story), bringing with him no real knowledge of the sport. Ted (Jason Sudeikis) is a non-tea-drinking fish out of water who, through sheer likeability and charm, succeeds at being a fantastic human while making those around him better people in the process.

Melissa McCoy

Sudeikis created the series, along with veteran television writer/producer/director Bill Lawrence (Scrubs), actor Brendan Hunt (Coach Beard) and consulting producer/writer Joe Kelly.

The show’s first season — Season 2 is airing now — was nominated for 20 Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series and two for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for A Comedy Series. The show walked away with seven statues.

We reached out to editors Melissa McCoy and AJ Catoline (who won an Emmy for his editing work on this latest season) to talk about their nominated episodes, their workflows and walking the line between drama and comedy.

How early did you get involved on Ted Lasso?
Melissa McCoy: I was working on Bill Lawrence’s show Whiskey Cavalier when I started to hear he was developing Ted with Jason. I kept checking in with our supervising producer Kip Kroeger to let them know I really wanted to work on the show. This was just based on it being a Bill and Jason project and not knowing anything else about it.

AJ Catoline

In the end, I started when they started filming, and I cut the pilot episode. While I didn’t come on super early per say, I guess having an already established working relationship with Bill and Kip helped me feel at ease at the start because I knew we all worked well together and would help shape the episode into what it needed to be.

AJ Catoline: I met Kip Kroeger a couple years before and we stayed in touch. When I heard that Jason Sudeikis was reviving the Ted Lasso idea for TV, I told him I was very interested. I got to cut Jason in an episode of Great Minds With Dan Harmon where he spoofed Thomas Edison. Jason was someone who always made me laugh, so I wanted in. I am thrilled that this has been my first adventure on a Bill Lawrence production, and what a ride it’s been.

How did you split up the episodes and how did that work?
McCoy: AJ and I split the episodes evens and odds. This was just the natural way it worked out since I did 101 he took 102 and we just went back and forth like that until the end. We kept up communication with one another about tone and music, especially in the early days when everyone was in London filming, and we were back in LA getting through all the dailies. Once Bill and Jason came back, we started working on producer’s cuts and we would discuss the things that maybe were being cut from our episodes that would impact the others, so we were all on the same page.

Catoline: As Mel says, we were doing odds and evens. It worked out well season one and we continued that this season. Mel had the pleasure of cutting the pilot and I got to do the finale. And this is important, because the opening shot of Rebecca in the pilot is the same framing as the closing shot of her in the finale. I love those intentional bookends that were designed by Jason Sudekis.

We both worked on Episode 204 for Season 2. I started it and, because of our schedule, Mel got to do some finishing work and we had the pleasure of sharing our first screen credit together.

What direction were you given in terms of the pacing and rhythm of the edit? Did that change at all as the season played out?
McCoy: Jason always says this show is about the inhales and the exhales. So when we have a snappy dialogue scene we play it a little more fast paced, but when a scene demands more patience we give it that space to play. But it’s really a case-by-case basis depending on the scene and performances. This is a show that keeps you on your toes because you really have to examine the meat of each scene and what it needs to be at its maximum potential.

Catoline: For a lot of Season 1, everyone was left to figure out what kind of a show we had. I think you will hear all the creatives say that the show is very much in Jason’s head — and we help to extract the vision to the screen. All that I knew going in was the short sketches and I thought we would have a more traditionally comedic show. Then when we were given scripts of the first few episodes, I realized we were dealing with something much deeper than a comedy. In comedy, usually the goal is to get to the next joke as quickly as possible. Sometimes you leave room for the comedic pregnant pauses, but mostly TV comedies are paced quickly. That is not the case with Ted Lasso.

Jason and Bill Lawrence are comedic genius, both are writers, and they are not always going for a joke; they are looking for character moments. So, we take our time with the moments. As Jason likes to say, the show leaves room for all the inhales and the exhales. We get the joke, but then we take a moment for the reactions of the characters after the punchline, and that is more revealing and interesting. It gives time for the audience to laugh, then reflect, then breathe. Most producers would cut these pauses out, though it shows Jason really knows how good comedy places by insisting the show has a patient pace.

As discussed, it’s a funny show but not sitcom funny — it sort of walks the line between comedy and drama. what were the challenges of that?
McCoy: I think walking the line between comedy and drama was really helped when we stayed true to the characters. Jason would sometimes pull a funny joke and say, “I don’t think Ted would say something like that.” Or conversely, we pulled back on a dramatic moment in 105 when Ted’s wife tells him she wasn’t in love with him anymore because he wanted the scene to be about Ted just listening to her and receiving the information. So we were always tuned in to who these people are and what their motivations are, and that was always used as a guiding light and allowed us to follow their lead into whatever type of scene it was, dramatic or comedic.

Catoline: Yes, it is definitely a comedy but with heart and pathos. Jason loves to repeat his favorite quote from Mark Twain — the one about how every person’s life is a comedy, drama and tragedy rolled into one. That seems so true for Ted, and Rebecca, and Roy and Nate and Jamie. All our characters are very funny, but they are also processing their pain and learning how to be vulnerable. I think the challenge as an editor is to be patient and let the moments play. As editors we want to be very curious with the footage, and perhaps also judgmental.

Any scenes that were particularly challenging? Why, and how did you work through it?
McCoy: I would say that scene in Episode 105 when Ted’s wife tells him she doesn’t feel about him the way she used to. This episode was the heaviest we had had thus far in the season, and we were still figuring out what this show wanted to be. The performances of Jason and Andrea Anders, who plays his wife Michelle, were so emotional and raw, so it was figuring out how much to lean into the drama. The scene also had their son Henry popping in and out interrupting them, providing a little comedy breather.

Originally, the scene had more of a back and forth between Ted and Michelle, but Jason wanted the first scene to be the one where Michelle speaks her truth and then in the scene later when Ted lets her go, he’s the one who talks. So the challenge became trying to find the best reactions of Ted to encourage Michelle to share her difficult truth and then how much comedy we wanted to add with the Henry interruptions. It was one of those scenes that’s a real difficult dance of finding just the right takes to build the emotion and finding just the right places to take the gas off for comedic relief, so it all feels natural and, hopefully, by the end of it you are just as shaken emotionally as Ted.

Catoline: A challenging scene, and perhaps the wildest scene I’ve ever cut, was the Allen Iverson speech in Episode 106. This was a scene that Jason wrote days before the shoot that spoofed the infamous rant by the NBA star. “I’m talking about practice, not the game!” I cut a version of it for the director’s cut, and we set it aside. Nobody knew how it fit into the story, as it wasn’t in the script. Along with the director, producer, writer, we agreed it would be better to work on it with Jason, and sure enough he wanted to watch every take.

Over many Zoom calls we built a performance that shows Ted slowly getting hotter and more intense, finally squaring off with Jamie, whom he’s butt heads with all season. It was about pacing the repeat of the key line, as Iverson did, “it’s about practice, man! not the game. Practice!” We had a transcript of Iverson’s speech to stay true to the original, and I think fans appreciate that level of detail.

At the crescendo, Ted is towering over Jamie and yelling. And we cut to a 50-50/two shot in a Dutch angle that makes Ted look taller and more intense. And then we cut to Jamie’s closeup, and he looks like Ted has finally broken this cocky guy down. And we cut to Ted as he realizes he has made Jamie feel ashamed. We learn later in the episode that Jamie has been shamed by his own distant dad who only values his son if he wins, and Ted sees the expression on Jamie’s face change and he cools back down.

The show is shot in the UK, but you guys were based in LA. How were you sharing cuts? The aforementioned Zoom?
McCoy: We were at the Warner Bros. studios in LA until the pandemic hit toward the end of the first season, and then we finished up the last few episodes working from home. We used Zoom pretty early on for our sound spots. Our composers Marcus Mumford and Tom Howe were in England, so we would all come together digitally to spot sound, so not much had to change when we started working from home. We used Zoom mostly to finish up the edits and sound spots at home.

Which episodes did you submit for Emmy and why?
McCoy: I submitted 207, “Make Rebecca Great Again.” I just loved working on this episode, and it’s one I’m going to cherish for a very long time. There were so many wonderful character developments in this episode. It’s the away game where Ted is dealing with signing his divorce papers. He gives Nate the opportunity to give the pre-game speech before their big match. He fires up the players with a hilarious roast that you think is going to get him punched but instead is exactly what they all needed to hear — even Roy — who at the end of his roast is soooo fired up he rips a bolted-down bench out of the ground. That speech and the excitement at the end is such an emotional high that it propels us right into the locker room post match. I feel like you never need to see the game or feel like you miss anything, because the whole cast tells you everything you need to know about how they are going to play by the end of that roast.

Then we go into the karaoke scene with the fabulous Hannah (Rebecca) singing “Let It Go,” and again we get to see all the players gelling as she sings, and that transitions into Ted’s panic attack. Just building all these moments from the highs and the lows was a beautiful experience. Every scene felt so epic, and the performances of each cast member were a sight to behold in the dailies. Then I found the best song to tie everything together at the end, Celeste’s “Strange.” It was a case of after I had built the end montage and laid down the song to audition, I hardly had to do any music editing — it just hit every emotional beat all the way to the end. It was one where I thanked the music gods for sending me that song. It’s always such a joy when something you put in your editor’s cut stays all the way to the end — music is such a subjective thing but when you find that piece that just works and no one can argue with it, it feels meant to be

Catoline: I submitted Episode 110, the finale, “The Hope That Kills You.” This title seemed to capture the vibe of the pandemic when the show aired and was probably why the show resonated with so many. It feels like an epic, Emmy-worthy episode. It has the big set piece of the grand finale game match, where the team uses all their trick plays, such as The Lasso Special. This is really a visual of American football invading the beautiful game of European football.

Yet it also has heartfelt moments where the great Roy Kent (he’s here, he’s there, he’s every fucking where) gets injured and walks off the field for his final game, and we cut to him in the locker room realizing that all he’s ever known is over. Keeley comes in to console him, and they hold hands in this beautiful wide shot. It’s the mashup of sports, love and pathos all together and it gets me emotional every time I see it. Also, there is the tragic moment where we see Jamie dealing with his abusive father. And Ted consoles the team and tells them all to go on and “be goldfish.” This episode feels very much like a comedy, drama and tragedy wrapped all into one. I love the music that we use, such as Marcus Mumford’s rendition of “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and Edith Piaf’s “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien.” The latter is a very Lassoian anthem with the lyrics in French — “Today, it starts with you.”

What systems did you use? Any plugins you call on often? 
McCoy: Avid Media Composer. I call on a lot of the audio plug-ins. We have lots of FaceTimes and phone calls so EQs are helpful. Also, for instance, the panic attack was a place where we really went wild with sound and picture design. For the picture I did lots of jump cuts and added a slight motion blur to the shots to sell not only his panic but also the passage of time. I wanted you to feel as lost as he was, so maybe we were with him for 20 minutes or so because all of a sudden Rebecca is out there pulling him out of it.

With the sound we added a high-pitched tone that weaved in and out, like a ringing in his ears and added reverb to all the backgrounds. One of the best things about this show is how we can really stretch our creative muscles in figuring out the best ways to get into our characters POV — what tricks and tools we can call on to help in subtle ways.

Catoline: Yes, we love our Jump Desktop, which brings us remotely into our Avid. Half of Season 1 and all of Season 2 were cut entirely remotely, with us all working on our own from home. I think having us united as a post team allowed us to be able to complete such a massive season, 12 episodes, in less time than we cut 10 episodes for Season 1. We really have an amazing team. Shout out to my assistant editor Alex Szabo, our VFX editor Frank Openchowski, our associate producer Katelyn Hollenbeck, post coordinator Robbie Stevenson, and our leader supervising producer Kip Kroeger.

Can you talk about doing more than just editing?
McCoy: We are really given the freedom to think about how we can elevate the scenes and episodes. What tricks can we use to really get into what our characters are feeling/going through? Is it adding a slight reverb to all our sound effects and make Ted’s breathing the thing that stands out, so it really feels like we are in his head for the panic attack, for example? As long as there’s a motivation behind your work, I think Jason appreciates it. Whether or not it’s what Jason has in mind when he comes in to finish the episodes, he appreciates the discussion and the back and forth. He’s a great collaborator in that sense. And he also brings in a lot of ideas to elevate the scenes as well. When we had the ringing in the panic attack, he had the idea to add that same ringing, just not as prominent, in the press conference in episode 101. So, he was always very attuned to the journey the audience was going to go on for the season and wanted to plant little Easter eggs that would pan out later. Same can be said for Season 2.

You both have assistant editors? How do you work with them?
McCoy: My assistant is Francesca Castro, who’s been with me for four years now. We have a great back and forth. Not only is she extremely skilled at all the assistant editor work of organization and keeping the episodes on track, but she’s got a great creative edge. One of our traditions is once I’m through with all the dailies and we build the episode, we watch it back together on that first build, so it’s in its rawest form. Then we’ll talk it through and take notes on all things that need massaging. I really hope it helps with the mentoring aspect of the assistant/editor relationship.

So not only do we talk about the temp sound that needs to happen, but she gets a peek into my process of making sure the beats and scenes are landing the way I want them to land. For instance, I’ll say, “I need to look at the transition here, I think I can make the out of the scene stronger to help propel us into the next scene and so on. And she’s great about giving me her thoughts, so it’s a wonderful back and forth.

Catoline: My assistant editor Alex Szabo went above and beyond on Season 2. Because the schedule was so intense, I called on him to step up as an additional editor, and he is credited with me on Episode 210. Ted Lasso is a show about mentorship, and I support helping to pay it forward with the editors you work with.

Let’s talk about Season 2. You were both back. Any changes direction-wise for those?
McCoy: Not really. I think if anything we felt a little more confident in the story we were telling. A lot of Season 1 was worrying and working on that comedy and drama line. So to have the fans really loving both aspects freed up a lot of the questioning I think we had Season 1. The scripts were all so wonderful. It was truly exciting whenever a new script was released, so to me it was all about doing justice to the scripts and performances that were coming into my Avid every day. It was a real treat to see the cast and crew gelling in my dailies.

Catoline: We recently locked picture on the finale, Episode 212. The final whistle has blown for editorial on Season 2. It has been an amazing ride this year, because during Season 1 we were wondering — will people like this show? And for Season 2, it has been more intense with all the attention and acclaim the show gets. So now, when editing, I am more aware and sensitive to how the audience and the fans may react to a scene. And it’s great when the episode airs to read the conversation on Twitter and appreciating how everyone is reacting to the moments. I love the Lasso Love out there!

Any best practices you’d like to share for other editors or those working with editors?
McCoy: I think the best thing I learned from my mentors in the past and what I try to instill in my assistant is to always try the note or the change. It’s so easy nowadays to just duplicate the sequence and try another way. Sometimes you surprise yourself and find a better way, and sometimes you get the satisfaction of knowing you got it right the first time. A win-win in my book.

Catoline: My advice to editors starting out in the business is to believe in yourself and your talents. Also, be patient. Things take time, so play the long game. Always keep cutting the best material that you can find. Editors are in demand, so show someone the vision you have to tell a story. And get out there and meet your community of editors. I met my assistant at a social function at the Editors Guild and we made a connection and became friends. A year or so later I asked him to join me on Ted Lasso. I love to stay involved with MPEG and ACE and enjoy meeting new people and that is how we grow together.

Randi Altman is the founder and editor-in-chief of postPerspective. She has been covering production and post production for more than 20 years.