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Roy Kent scores twice in game of life this week on Ted Lasso [Apple TV+ recap] ★★☆☆

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Brett Goldstein in ★★☆☆
Roy Kent (played by Brett Goldstein, left) gets in touch with his emotions this week.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewTed Lasso, the Apple TV+ show about an American soccer coach killin’ em with kindness in London, finds a new player in the mix and new hurdles at work this week. AFC Richmond is being watched by an old adversary, Roy’s got big feelings for the first time in a while, and everybody’s buzzing about what happens next.

The episode, entitled “(I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea,” is an above-average outing for the mawkish football comedy. (It’s anyone’s guess if the upward trend will continue.)

Shrinking doesn’t really want to do ‘the work’ this week [Apple TV+ recap] ★★☆☆☆

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Jason Segel in ★★☆☆☆
You probably don't want a shrink like Jimmy (played by Jason Segel).
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewShrinking is all about reconciliation this week. The Apple TV+ show about the social circle of a manic pixie dream therapist sees Jimmy Laird trying to mend the rift between his hero, Paul, and his family.

Meanwhile, as Brian prepares for his wedding, he meets with nothing but disappointments and potential catastrophes. Gaby is caught between her rock and a hard place. And Alice makes a fateful mistake.

Everything comes out in the end in “Moving Forward,” this week’s whatever installment of the hit show that could have been an email.

What happened in the first two seasons of Ted Lasso?

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Ted Lasso Series Recap
Give yourself a refresher on the first two seasons.
Image: Apple

Season three of Ted Lasso arrived today — but you might need a refresher on where the most critically acclaimed show on Apple TV+ left off. Here’s a quick summary of the first two seasons.

I recorded two conversations with aspiring film critic and personal friend, Russell Davis, discussing the plot points and themes of seasons one and two. You can watch these videos below to catch yourself up for today’s premiere.

Can Ted Lasso’s optimism sustain it for season 3? [Apple TV+ recap] ★★☆☆☆

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Episode 1. Jason Sudeikis in ★★☆☆☆
Ted's up to his old tricks again.
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewThree years after Ted Lasso became a runaway smash for Apple TV+, the show returns Wednesday with a fresh blast of unrelenting optimism.

The fish-out-of-water story of an upbeat U.S. football coach leading a team of U.K. footballers somehow became one of the most-watched things in the streaming sphere, fueled by pandemic viewers looking for something — anything — with a positive message. Now, as Ted Lasso season three arrives, there’s a lot of hype to live up to (and a lot of dross that needs papering over).

Can the show’s likely last season cement Ted’s place in TV history? Maybe … but star Jason Sudeikis’ aw-shucks act seems in danger of wearing thin. After all, the new Ted is an awful lot like the old Ted.

Jimmy steps up this week on Shrinking [Apple TV+ recap] ★★☆☆

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Jason Segel, Harrison Ford and Michael Urie in ★★☆☆
The hunt for a missing Alice is on!
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewAlice goes missing this week on Apple TV+ hit comedy Shrinking, and Jimmy, Paul and Brian are on the case. After exposing Alice to the awkwardness of a social curveball, Jimmy and Gaby alienate her so much that she decides to act out like her dad has been doing for so long.

Meanwhile, Gaby needs to face down a big challenge as she prepares to maybe move on from her divorce. And Brian must confess something to Jimmy that’s going to be painful — and chooses the worst time to do it. All in all, it’s an above-average episode of a very tiresome sitcom.

Apple TV+ awards The Big Door Prize trailer to viewers

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Apple TV+ awards 'The Big Door Prize' trailer to viewers
The Big Door Prize starring Chris O’Dowd premieres in late March on Apple TV+.
Photo: Apple TV+

The next comedy premiering on Apple TV+ is The Big Door Prize. The series tells the story of a small town that is changed forever when a mysterious machine appears in the general store, promising to reveal each resident’s true life potential.

The trailer released Wednesday gives a first real look at the show and its stars. It debuts on Apple’s streaming service on March 28.

Schmigadoon! season 2 trailer visits sexy musicals of the ’60s and ’70s

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After the lighthearted musicals of 'Schmigadoon!' season 1, fans will need to adjust for darker and sexier fare in season 2.
Schmigadoon! season 2 won't be quite like season 1.
Photo: Apple TV+

After the lighthearted musicals of the first season of Schmigadoon!, fans of the Apple TV+ series will need to adjust for darker and sexier fare in season two. The first trailer shows the upcoming episodes will be set in a new town, where everyone lives in a musical from the 1960s or 1970s.

Watch the just-released Schmigadoon! season two trailer to see what’s coming to Apple TV+ in April.

Maybe Shrinking needs a DNR [Apple TV+ recap] ★★☆☆☆

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Jimmy, played by Jason Segel, sits on a bed in a scene from ★★☆☆☆
Can this guy do anything right?
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewApple TV+ comedy Shrinking does the walk of shame this week. Troubled therapist Jimmy made a mess of things last week at Brian and Charlie’s engagement party, so he thinks he must make amends.

However, everyone’s got their own worries. Paul is hosting his daughter, who’s got her own ideas about his disease. And Alice and Sean are navigating a bad moment that happened in a moment of weakness.

It’s business as usual on the show where most problems are not problems at all.

Even Roy Kent warms up in Ted Lasso trailer’s love-fest

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Brett Goldstein in “Ted Lasso” season two, now streaming on Apple TV+.
Roy Kent (played by Brett Goldstein) turns over a new leaf in the Ted Lasso season three trailer.
Photo: Apple TV+

The season 3 trailer for hit Apple TV+ comedy Ted Lasso is a total love-fest. Not a lot happens in it. But everyone’s so happy the show is back — if only for one final, fleeting season of humor and hope — that it doesn’t much matter, does it?

Just watch the trailer, which Apple released Monday, and be positive!

Shrinking pukes up a party — and a proposal! [Apple TV+ recap] ★★☆☆☆

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Devin Kawaoka and Michael Urie in ★★☆☆☆
Will they or won't they?
Photo: Apple TV+

TV+ ReviewNew Apple TV+ hit comedy Shrinking has marriage on the brain this week.

Brian is finally proposing to Charlie. That couldn’t come at a better time for Jimmy, who is not ready but suddenly has to be ready to relive the last few weeks of his marriage when old friends come over. It’s also not great timing for Gaby, who is trying to roger her way to clarity over her divorce.

Meanwhile, Paul’s upset that his daughter cares too much about him. And Jimmy’s daughter Alice and his troubled patient Sean endure an awkward moment. Even the few laughs it serves up can’t make this week’s episode of Shrinking,  entitled “Impostor Syndrome,” more than cloying and predictable.