Ted Lasso: The Conversation Jason Sudeikis Had With Jeremy Swift That Led To Higgins Playing Bass

Ted Lasso: The Conversation Jason Sudeikis Had With Jeremy Swift That Led To Higgins Playing Bass

The streaming wars are currently in full effect, and each service has a few megahits. For Apple TV+, one of the biggest hits is definitely the feel-good comedy Ted Lasso. Fans of the beloved series are gearing up to say goodbye to the folks at AFC Richmond, as Season 3’s finale will be the final episode of all time. One of the scene stealers of Ted Lasso’s cast is Jeremy Swift, who plays Leslie Higgins, the Director of Football Operations. And it turns out that a conversation with Jason Sudeikis resulted in Higgins playing Bass in a recent episode.

One of the standout episodes from Ted Lasso Season 3 was “Sunflowers”, where the team traveled to Amsterdam. Higgins got a great plot line, where he took Will to a jazz club, and eventually rocked the standing bass. As you can see in the video above, actor Jeremy Swift recently spoke to CinemaBlend about this sequence, revealing that it all started with a conversation with Sudeikis back in Season 1. In his words:

Well, it happened in Season 1, when Jason said, ‘Oh, Higgins is gonna walk out, and then we're going to see him a while later.’ And I said, ‘How long is he going to have a Rasputin length beard?’ And Jason said, ‘Oh, maybe a jazz beard.’ And I said, ‘Oh, I like jazz. And I play the double bass. [laughs].’ So he said. ‘oooh… in an amateur way?’ And I said, ‘No, I think I'm quite good.’ So I did play in that episode, although it's cut together really strangely. And as I was playing on my own, if you watch it again, it makes no sense as a tune. It's just [makes random bass noises] and then it just jumps to another place – because they didn't measure out that it was the same song I was playing. Anyway, during this episode was great because I actually got to play with people, and they were super talented. And it was very, very sweet. I loved it.

Talk about a payoff. Jason Sudeikis wears a number of hats on Ted Lasso, as the creator, star, and writer. And as such, conversations with his co-stars have grown into full on plot points for the show. Lucky for us fans, as Higgins’ jam session was a delightful surprise in the midst of “Sunflowers.” 

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Ted Lasso is known for sparking joy and being a light-hearted watch, and Jeremy Swift’s comments to CinemaBlend also make it seem like a fun place to work. Each cast member has been given a chance to shine in Season 3, even smaller roles like Nate's girlfriend Jade or Keeley's co-worker Barbara. Higgins has been a series regular the whole run of the show, but he’s still constantly surprising us– whether that includes jamming on the double bass or sprinting down a hallway for a meeting of The Diamond Dogs. 

Jeremy Swift as Higgins in Ted Lasso

(Image credit: Apple)

Given the wild Emmy-winning success of Ted Lasso, it’s almost surprising that the show is ending after just three seasons. The series is available with an Apple TV+ subscription, and was likely the reason that some folks ended up subscribing in the first place. But after the series finale airs, fans will be able to travel across the pond and visit Ted Lasso’s bar IRL.

All eyes are on what will happen with Ted Lasso’s forthcoming series finale on Apple TV. The penultimate episode saw a number of characters’ mothers appear, and Jason Sudeikis’ title character admitted just how much he missed his home/son. Is he getting home and leaving Richmond behind? Only time will tell.

Ted Lasso airs new episodes airs Wednesdays on Apple TV. Be sure to check out the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch.