Ted Lasso is gearing up for another big night at the 2022 Emmys with 20 nominations among its cast and creators.
A real MVP of the second season, former AFC Richmond underdog Sam Obisanya (Toheeb Jimoh), is among the many performances receiving recognition for his standout work, earning a nod for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a comedy series. And ahead of television’s biggest night, he’s reflecting on Sam’s Season 2 journey and looking ahead to the future.
Below, the actor opens up about his nomination, Sam’s relationship with Rebecca, the footballer’s decision to stay with AFC Richmond, and whether or not a satisfying conclusion lies ahead for fans of the Apple TV+ comedy.
(Credit: Apple TV+)
Congratulations on your Emmy nomination! What was your initial reaction to hearing that news, and what has it been like getting to share the experience with your costars?
Toheeb Jimoh: It was great. It was definitely a surprise, especially because there were so many of us. Even though there are loads of one-off individual awards, it really did feel like a collective team effort. And so I was just really happy for everyone, especially all of us first-time nominees. Sarah [Niles], James Lance, and Sam Richardson got a nomination. Our show is really dope and we have a really big cast. We have loads of wonderful characters and so it was really nice that the love was being shared a bit further out and everybody was getting their moment.
The only bummer really was that the only person who I feel like should be an Emmy nominee and isn’t, is Phil Dunster, who plays Jamie Tartt. I think that was the only real bummer to it because he is ferociously talented and the nicest guy in the world. Probably Season 3, he’ll get one?
Sam deals with a lot in Season 2, including his fight against Cerithium Oil in Nigera, his relationship with Rebecca, and being torn between staying put in London or joining Edwin Akufo’s team. What were you the most excited to tackle when it came to Sam’s Season 2 journey?
I can’t pick between the three of them. I was excited to do all three of them for different reasons. Episode 3, “Do the Right-est Thing,” with Dubai Air, that’s a story that I, as a Nigerian, feel incredibly tied to. And so when I knew that was coming, I was licking my lips and I couldn’t wait to get started because it’s just so topical and impactful.
(Credit: Apple TV+)
Then the whole thing with Sam and Rebecca was really dope because then we got to see a different side of Sam. In that relationship, he’s the one that’s driving it. And he’s the one that’s like, “No, we should go for this and we can go for it. And f**k it, why not?”. And she’s a bit more hesitant. We got to see him be a bit suave, see his charisma come out, and he really stepped up. And I got to do scenes with Hannah who’s a really great friend.
Then his decision to stay or go and start his own team and be the focal point of that team was a really profound question of, where do you call home? And can you call the UK home? And how best do you effect change? Is it easier to pull up and effect change in your home country, or can you still do that from miles away, in Europe? I loved tackling that and dealing with that. And ultimately, Sam chooses to stay and I was just excited about all of it. I got to do scenes with Sam Richardson. He is probably one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. He’s hilarious.
Yes, it was all fantastic. And I love that you mentioned Sam being suave because that’s exactly what we were all thinking when he showed up at Rebecca’s door in Episode 8 after sending her his address. When he tells her the address is for “next time,” it was one of the smoothest moves on TV this past year.
He was smooth. It was good.
So good.
Yes, I really loved that.
(Credit: Apple TV+)
And fans have strong opinions on relationships whether they’re rooting for Ted and Rebecca to be a couple or Sam and Rebecca. What kind of fan reactions have you experienced and how do you feel about it?
I pay loads of attention to it. I find it hilarious. I love it. I don’t mind which way it is. If you’re a Ted and Rebecca fan, or a Sam and Rebecca fan. I just love the chaos. So when that stuff was happening, the people that didn’t want Sam and Rebecca to be a thing, because they want Ted and Rebecca to be a thing. I just put another picture up of Sam and Rebecca on that date and I want to see the chaos. I want these ones to be at war with each other. I want to split the Ted Lasso fan base down the middle.
I find it really fun because either way, it’s just people enjoying the show and engaging with the characters. I think the thing that I was really anxious about was taking Sam from the character he was in Season 1 and suddenly making it plausible that he could have a relationship with Rebecca because I’m not sure that the Season 1 version of Sam could have made that relationship work. And so we had to grow him really quickly in Season 2. And the fact that we have Sam and Rebecca fans is a testament to the fact that it works. And the fact that the Ted and Rebecca fans are so triggered by it is also testament to the fact that it works. So either way, I’m just here eating popcorn, watching the chaos. I find it funny.
Ultimately, Sam does decide to stay with AFC Richmond. And although we see him purchase the restaurant and he tells Rebecca it was a choice he made for himself, will there be a deeper explanation behind the decision-making process? Is there anything else that influenced his decision?
When I knew that storyline was coming up, before we know Edwin Akufo is crazy, like bats**t crazy, Sam was weary of billionaires anyway, but this one seems like he’s a good billionaire. He seems to care about the things that Sam cares about. And he gives him the pitch in the museum. Ultimately, he wants to bolster African football with African football players. That’s a hell of a pitch. Why wouldn’t Sam go?
(Credit: Apple TV+)
And then there’s a bit where Sam’s walking down the street and he’s talking to his Dad who says, “The universe will show you a sign, trust the universe.” And he looks across into the park and kids are playing football and there’s a Black kid there with the tape over the Dubai Air logo, running around playing football. But then there’s also a white kid there with the tape over the Dubai Air logo, running around playing football. And I think, in that moment, he realizes the effect that he has on the way Nigerians are seen, but also the reach that he has with Nigeria and the Nigerian government is somehow bigger if he’s away from home.
He’s found his new family here, he doesn’t want to let Ted go. He doesn’t want to let Rebecca go or Roy go. This is his new team. These are his new people and ultimately, you grow more away from home. It’s a cocktail of different things, but those are some of the things that I think he was thinking about and ultimately why he decided to stay.
Will we get to see Sam get into the restaurant business more in Season 3? Or will it take a backseat to gameplay?
A little bit. He will open the restaurant. I’ll give you that much. But yes, the restaurant is not a thing on the side that he’s done in Season 2 and then we’ll never see again. The restaurant is a thing because I think it’s important for him. It’s a big part of his relationship with the UK and him laying down his roots. We will get to see little bits of Sam and the restaurant.
(Credit: Apple TV+)
The biggest twist in Season 2 had to be Nate’s betrayal. Will we see that impact on AFC Richmond and Sam in Season 3?
Yes. I think the ripple effect of Nate leaving is felt, and definitely is present in the third season because we’re in the same league now. So he is direct opposition to the AFC Richmond team. And it’s definitely something that we deal with and it comes up.
In a lot of ways, Sam and Nate started their stories very similarly and were taken under Ted’s wings in Season 1. Do you ever reflect on how ironic it is that Nate and Sam have ended up leading two very different paths in the story due to Ted’s influence?
I think there are so many parallels in the show. They start off in a similar place. At the start of Season 1, they are both being bullied. And by the end of Season 1 and the start of Season 2, they’re both at the peak of their powers. Nate has become a coach. Sam has become a leader of the team, one of the stars in Jamie’s absence and he’s scoring more goals. They ultimately, for very various different reasons, decide to go on a different path and Sam takes that same power and that same newfound confidence that Ted gives him and uses his platform to inspire people like Ted did with him.
I also find that Sam and Jamie parallel really interesting. They have polar opposite relationships with their dads. And you see how that creates different people. Especially in the first season. Jamie is exactly the way he is because of his relationship with his dad and Sam is exactly the way he is because he has a loving relationship with his dad. So it’s interesting to watch them butt heads in the first season and in the second season, they become friends.
Yes, the father-son parallel is definitely something to consider because Season 2 felt like it was all about fathers and sons, between Jamie, Sam, Nate, and even Ted revealing his own father’s suicide.
There’s a really cool quote in Season 2 where Ted meets Rebecca’s mom and he goes, “Oh, I love meeting people’s parents. It’s like an instruction manual for why they’re nuts.” And I feel like it’s a joke line, but that is effectively the second season, isn’t it? The entire show, really.
It is! And there’s been a lot of discussions about the show’s future. I know the show’s been envisioned for a three-season run. Whether Season 3 will be the last or not, should fans anticipate some sense of closure or satisfaction by the end of Season 3?
I think so. I feel that’s where we’re trending towards. I haven’t read the [last] two episodes so I don’t really know how it ends. So ultimately, I still don’t know. I’m in the same position as the audience. But I feel like we will, regardless of whether this is the final season. It feels like there’s a resolution, a closing of a chapter with this season. And so, I trust that there will be some closure for the fans if it is the last season. These guys, the people in the writers’ room, they’re gurus and wizards. So yes, I think the fans will get what they deserve.
Ted Lasso, Season 3, TBA, Apple TV+