In Apple TV+'s hit comedy Ted Lasso, Jason Sudeikis' iconically mustachioed Coach Lasso wins over the hearts of both audiences and the AFC Richmond community that was routing for him to fail. Ted's disarming positivity and folksy charm share DNA with one of television's most memorable detectives, FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper from Twin Peaks.

The comparisons to David Lynch's infamously bizarre mystery and the contemporary sports comedy are not as in touch as they first appear. Brett Goldstein, who serves as both a writer and producer on Ted Lasso, is a noted Twin Peaks enthusiast and even included a reference to Twin Peaks: The Return in his Emmy acceptance speech for portraying footballer turned-gaffer Roy Kent. However, the connection between the series extends beyond Goldstein and can be found in the show's two unconventional leaders.

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A Fish Out of Water (…& Into the Percolator)

Ted Lasso referencing Twin Peaks at a press conference in Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 1

The pilot episodes of Twin Peaks and Ted Lasso introduce audiences to a quirky outsider dispatched to a new town to solve a problem. Out of their depth with the murder investigation of Laura Palmer, the insular town of Twin Peaks is more willing to embrace Dale Cooper's aid than AFC Richmond is to Ted. However, both men surprise their respective communities. Their positive natures contrast with their surroundings, painting Dale as somewhat blasé in the face of a teenager's gruesome murder and Ted as ignorant to a football franchise that fears impending relegation.

The relentless positivity baked into both protagonists' demeanors proved crucial in ingratiating them into their new environments. Aside from winning over fans and players at AFC Richmond, Coach Lasso initiated conversations with neighbors, town troubadours and children playing football in his local park while becoming a regular at AFC Richmond's Pub, The Crown & Anchor. Dale Cooper established similar roots in Twin Peaks, developing relationships during his prolonged stay at the Great Northern and finding a regular haunt in The Double R Diner. Solidifying their acceptance into their new homes-away-from-home, Dale and Ted join alternative fraternities, with Dale being the first outsider to earn an invitation into the Bookhouse Boys organization and Ted forming the Diamond Dogs.

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Twin Peaks Sheriff Harry Truman Invites Dale Cooper to Bookhouse Boys with Patch

One of the first questions Agent Cooper asked Twin Peaks Sheriff Harry S. Truman was: "what kind of fantastic trees have you got growing around here?" This whimsical amusement established that, though there was a dire duty to attend to in Twin Peaks, Dale Cooper was the type to stop and smell the Douglas Firs. Coach Lasso's "biscuits with the boss" approach to better acquaint himself with Hannah Waddingham's Rebecca Welton struck a similar chord. Contrary to other fish-out-of-water tales, Dale and Ted genuinely desire to learn more about their new environments and regard their change of scenery with an overall sense of wonder.

Unlike Ted, Special Agent Cooper did not leave a family behind in Philadelphia, but he communicated with his FBI team on the East Coast via his infamous voice memos to Diane Evans. From Ted's guardian army men to Dale's noise-canceling earpieces, both characters received care packages that symbolized their connections back home. For additional aid in their newfound missions, Ted and Dale enlisted hands-on help from capable members of their home organizations. The stoic Coach Beard and prickly FBI Agent Albert Rosenfield accompany Ted and Dale to their new locales and provide contrasting personalities to their colleagues, further highlighting the protagonist's eccentricities.

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Tackling Leadership and Obstacles

The Diamond Dogs from Ted Lasso with their arms together in a huddle.

While quirks such as Dale's borderline orgasmic love of coffee and Ted's abject disgust for tea provide running gags throughout both series, these characters' personalities likewise present unique approaches to problem-solving in their leadership positions. The premise of Ted Lasso sees an American football coach adapting his knowledge to a new sport. Similarly, Dale Cooper must adapt his Federal Bureau of Investigation training to the environment of a small town's local law enforcement operation.

Ted Lasso's brand of relentless positivity, both as a character and a show, has been scrutinized by those claiming nauseating saccharinity. However, the series itself explores the prism of Ted's positive outlook on the world and how it can alienate those he loves or present as a burden/crutch. Despite his nature often bringing out a better side of those around him, Ted is not without his faults and deep internal struggles. Dale Cooper's wholesome demeanor paints him similarly saint-like, an image likewise confronted in Twin Peaks' second season.

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Twin Peaks Jack Nance's Pete Martell play chess with Kyla Maclachlan's Dale Cooper

Dale's ill-fated romance with antagonist Windom Earle's late wife Caroline was introduced in Twin Peaks' second season partially to introduce conflict into the character's upright presentation. This backstory still painted Dale in a primarily positive light, contrasted by Windom Earle's over-the-top villainy, and put less of an edge on his purity than Coach Lasso received in his second season. However, herein lies the deviation between the shows' respective genres, where Dale's boy scout persona remained intact to heighten the dramatic impact felt in Season 2's finale and Twin Peaks: The Return.

While Beard may enjoy going toe-to-toe with Windom Earle in a game of chess, he and Ted have plenty of concerns within their rogues' gallery. While Rupert Mannion, Ted Lasso's answer to Emperor Palpatine, remains the series' most persistent antagonist, Season 3 also boats Nate, the no-longer great Shelly. The ascension of this Judas figure from within AFC Richmond's coaching ranks symbolizes an error in Ted's judgment, a means by which his good faith outlook came back to bite him. Dale Cooper once saw Windom as a trustworthy partner, just as he looked upon Leland Palmer as nothing more than a grieving father. However, a shock of white taking root in both Leland and Nate's hairlines should have tipped off both characters that something sinister was lying in their midst.

Ted Lasso and Dale Cooper bring tangential anecdotes, quirky charm and subtle strategy to their leadership positions. Their positive outlooks prove a breath of unexpected fresh air to their respective communities and the audiences who grow to cherish these outlying figureheads among a sea of rough-and-tumble television protagonists. The optimism of these characters is wielded by both shows as more than a mere wholesome veneer, exposing areas of vulnerability and leading to the rise of formidable antagonists.