Joe Kelly’s comedies work best when a cast has room to play off one another. We like their warmth and company, though the writing can mistake a familiar comic setup for a finished joke.
Fi1m perspective
Ted’s enthusiasm meets British reserve in Ted Lasso (2020), and the writing sometimes behaves as though the encounter has already supplied the punchline. Joe Kelly’s work is worth watching for the people who deliver those lines, though we wish the jokes were more dependable. We warmed to this series because Jason Sudeikis and the responsive ensemble make the enthusiasm appealing even when the cultural clashes feel laboured. There is pleasure in their company, and not always enough comic invention to match it.
Kelly began on the writing staff of Saturday Night Live in 2004, then worked as a writer, story editor and producer on How I Met Your Mother (2005). Its recurring gags and non-linear storytelling gave him experience of carrying comic ideas beyond a sketch. We rate it as a funny, cleverly constructed sitcom, with Neil Patrick Harris the strongest reason to stay. The writing can also seem too pleased with itself, making Ted Mosby’s search for love feel longer than necessary. Once again, the cast earns some forgiveness for uneven jokes.
Co-creating Detroiters (2017) with Tim Robinson and Sam Richardson moved Kelly towards building a programme from the start. He then co-created Ted Lasso with Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt and Bill Lawrence, continuing his work on workplace ensemble comedies. Football need not be the chief attraction of a sports comedy: the interplay between characters is a substantial part of what we like about this one. These are shared writing credits, so there is little sense in claiming that every successful exchange, or every weak one, belongs to Kelly.
The reservation is specific: Ted Lasso too often expects American optimism and British reserve to be funny without finding a fresh detail in either. Familiarity can help a sitcom, but it cannot do all the writing, and anyone unmoved by Ted’s manner has fewer alternatives than they should. We would like more particular surprises from Kelly and his fellow writers, not less warmth. Start with Ted Lasso for Sudeikis and the ensemble; allow for stretches when the company is better than the comedy.
Biography
Joe Kelly is a writer and producer. He was born on 24 September 1972 in Fairlawn, New Jersey. He studied and performed improv at the Second City and Improv Olympic in Chicago.
Kelly is a co-creator of the Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso (2020–), on which he has also served as writer, teleplay writer and story writer, alongside Jason Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence and Brendan Hunt. He is a co-creator of the Comedy Central series Detroiters (2017–2018) and has written for How I Met Your Mother (2005–2014) and Saturday Night Live (1975–). He co-wrote the 2026 film Office Romance.
For his work on Ted Lasso he received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations and shared in two wins for Outstanding Comedy Series.
