All hell broke loose over a joke in Friday night’s episode of the much-awarded Apple TV+ comedy Ted Lasso, entitled “Rainbow.” In a satirical, quasi-legalistic sense, that is.
In the episode, Leslie Higgins (Jeremy Swift), director of communications for the fictional Premiere League soccer club AFC Richmond, makes a remark to team owner Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham). He says he can’t tell if actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney ownership of the entirely nonfictional Welsh football club Wrexham AFC “is a joke or not.”
A sternly worded letter
Well, the joke turned out to be no joke to some people — in a joking sort of way.
Reynolds (Free Guy, Deadpool) and McElhenney (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Game of Thrones, Mythic Quest), fired off a cease-and-desist-style letter demanding the company provide Coach Lasso’s famous shortbread biscuits if it wants to avoid legal action. Not for themselves, of course. Judging by the included address, they meant the biscuits for their team, which they take very seriously.
“It has come to our attention that in a recent episode of ‘Ted Lasso’ our very real ownership of Wrexham AFC was called into question by an otherwise beloved character named ‘Higgins,’” Reynolds and McElhenney wrote in an open letter to Apple TV+ tweeted on Saturday.
The letter goes on:
While we hold the incomparable Jeremy Swift in no ill regard and are honored to be mentioned on the platform that’s brought us high-quality programming ranging from ‘Mythic Quest’ season one to ‘Mythic Quest’ season two, we must insist that you cease and desist from the casting of any doubt regarding our commitment to the club, the fans, and the entire Wrexham community. To avoid legal action please send 2 LARGE boxes of Ted Lasso’s biscuits to the Racecourse Ground, Mold Rd., Wrexham LL11 2AH, United Kingdom before the Wrexham AFC season begins on Saturday, August 21st at 3 p.m. Believe! Rob & Ryan
The letter referred to McElhenney’s Apple TV+ series, Mythic Quest, implying the show pretty much solely underlies the streaming service’s reputation for quality programming.
Apple TV+ caves to demand, apparently
Thank you so much for your reasonable arbitration request, Rob. Our team of 2,000 lawyers are furiously baking as we speak… https://t.co/GMutZqLLFr
— Apple TV (@AppleTV) August 21, 2021
And, shockingly, in a world where legal proceedings seem to take forever, Apple TV+ has already gamely given in to the demand for biscuits. At least, it appears that way from a couple of the streaming service’s tweets that seem not to be solely satirical.
“Thank you so much for your reasonable arbitration request, Rob,” a tweet by Apple TV+ stated. “Our team of 2,000 lawyers are furiously baking as we speak…”
And another Apple TV+ tweet said this:
“We like our high-profile celebrity arbitration just like Roy Kent: hard packaging on the outside, but soft goodness on the inside. Biscuits are on their way.”
It would appear the biscuits — which is U.K. lingo for cookies, y’all — may actually be en route to Wales sometime soon.
Apple TV+ costs $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year. It provides subscribers access to a library of original TV shows and movies, including Ted Lasso, starring and executive produced by Jason Sudeikis, now in season 2.
