Is Roy Kent the Tin Man? Brett Goldstein says aspects of Ted Lasso were inspired by The Wizard of Oz (2025)

Last Updated on November 28, 2024

With Jon M. Chu’s Wicked burning up the box office like fireballs from Elphaba’s fingertips, everyone’s got The Wizard of Oz on the brain (if you’ve got one). Even Ted Lasso‘s Brett Goldstein is talking about L. Frank Baum’s classic fantasy fairytale, saying aspects of Dorothy’s trip to Oz heavily inspire the Apple TV+ comedy series.

Speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Goldstein addressed theories about Ted Lasso taking cues from The Wizard of Oz, saying, “Oh yeah, there’s loads and loads ofThe Wizard of Oz inTed Lasso.” He then explained, “The pinball machine is the one that’s always ‘Ted has to go home. There’s no place like home.’ And then, there’s no place like Richmond F.C. Yes, that’s allWizard of Oz.”

Ted Lasso’s connections to The Wizard of Oz go beyond a few strategically placed Easter eggs. Goldstein says his surly, foul-mouthed character, Roy Kent, is modeled after the Tin Man (the one missing his heart). Jaso Sudeikis is the show’s Dorothy (a person who finds themselves in a strange and enchanting land), and Hannah Waddingham’s Rebecca is the Lion (someone who finds her voice and bravery through her friendship with Ted). Phil Dunster’s Jamie is the Scarecrow (a person who doesn’t have much going on upstairs at first).

“I’m sure this is going to cause a lot of trouble,” Goldstein said, referring to feeding the Ted Lasso fandom with his take on the theory. The interesting thing is I can see the comparisons immediately. Are there other character connections? Is Juno Temple’s Keely Jones the show’s Galinda the Good Witch? Is Anthony Head’s Rupert Mannion the Wicked Witch of the West, or does that parallel belong to Nick Mohammed’s Nathan Shelly? Is Brendan Hunt’s Coach Beard Toto? Yikes! This line of thinking is a rabbit hole. I need to stop.

What do you think about Ted Lasso‘s connections to The Wizard of Oz? Have you heard this theory before today? What other character connections could you make? Who’s the Wizard? Does this mean the F.C. Richmond players are the angry apple trees? The Munchkins? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

About the Author

Born and raised in New York, then immigrated to Canada, Steve Seigh has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. He started with Ink & Pixel, a column celebrating the magic and evolution of animation, before launching the companion YouTube series Animation Movies Revisited. He's also the host of the Talking Comics Podcast, a personality-driven audio show focusing on comic books, film, music, and more. You'll rarely catch him without headphones on his head and pancakes on his breath.