A show that isn't Ted Lasso, but is still good.

 I'm not someone who binges TV shows. I don't have the patience or attention span to stay with the same show over the course of a week, or whatever, but I will watch the season of a show released every week (like The Mandalorian) but because a couple of factors, (I'm watching with my wife and the shows are really good) I've recently gone through two shows with the aggressive passion that we are supposed to this day in age.

The first show is Ted Lasso, but if Halloween has taught us anything, it is that we are all pretty saturated with Ted Lasso. If you haven't watched the show, I recommend it, because you will like it. It's widely acclaimed, so that is a pretty common opinion. I am not a fan of sports shows or movies, and even I like it. So yes, it's good, but you probably already know that, or are sick of hearing that. 

I am here to tell you to watch Netflix's Sex Education. Like Ted Lasso, it isn't quite what you would expect going in, and the first few scenes, and the first couple of episodes definitely lend to the belief that it is a raunchy, graphic show, that caters to the basest TV watchers, but as it progresses, you find that it is a smart character study of a diverse cast. 

Like Ted Lasso, Sex Education takes place in England and is smarter than one would expect. It looks at the lives of promiscuous high school students and their families. The show starts focused on Otis Milburne (Asa Butterfield) and his mother, Jean (Gillian Anderson) but expands its scope to include a vast array of characters that it never forgets, even if they were introduced in a seemingly secondary manner earlier in a given season. And all of the characters are complex.

The show is funny. It's a different brand of humor, certainly, than what Ted Lasso offers, but it also deals with very serious topics related to sexual health, gender identity, classism and bullying, but never feels as heavy as all that sounds. Still, it has a heart, brought to pass because it respects every character and allows us to connect with each of them. I'm surprised it hasn't ever received the acclaim of other shows, but that might just be because of the name.

I know that I've drawn comparisons to Ted Lasso at every turn, so here is one last one for you to take note of if and when you start watching the Sex Education. One of the main characters on Lasso has a small role on Sex Education as well. Can you spot them? Give it a shot, because you should give Sex Education a shot.