Definitive proof that 'Ted Lasso' is a real-world retelling of 'The Wizard of Oz'

Brett Goldstein recently revealed which characters represent the Tin Man, Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion—and it's not who some fans expected.

Ever since author L. Frank Baum first took us to the Emerald City in 1900, "The Wizard of Oz" has been the inspiration of countless stories, spin-offs, sequels, adaptations and other creative works. We got the soulful energy of "The Wiz," the thought-provoking origin story of "Wicked," the animated oddity of "Tom and Jerry and the Wizard of Oz" and more. But one that people might not immediately recognize is the Emmy-winning series "Ted Lasso."

That's right, "Ted Lasso," the feel-good series about an inspirational American-football-turned-British-football coach, is actually an adaptation-of-sorts of "The Wizard of Oz." Of course, the penultimate "Ted Lasso" episode contained all kinds of direct references to the Land of Oz, including Ted's mother, Dottie (ahem, Dorothy), coming to visit, the "Wizard of Oz" themed pinball machine, the song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" in a movie scene the team is watching, Ted finding a single yellow Lego brick under the sofa, a tie-dyed t-shirt worn by Roy that's alludes to the yellow brick road in the original film and more. But it's not just that one episode that points to "The Wizard of Oz."

The surprising history behind 9 of everyone's favorite Christmas songs

What do you mean "Jingle Bells" was originally a THANKSGIVING song?!

Even the Grinchiest among us probably has a Christmas song that lifts their spirits. After all, we’ve got so much more than traditional carols now—virtually every genre has a tune dedicated to the holiday, religious or otherwise.

In fact, as of 2019 there were an estimated 9,274 songs with the word “Christmas” in the title. And that’s obviously not counting the songs that don’t contain the word “Christmas” but are still very much Christmas songs, like "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and "Frosty the Snowman.”

But did you know that many well known Christmas songs weren’t Christmas songs at all? Or that some have very close ties to war history? Or that some didn’t even become famous until many years later?

Read below for some pretty fascinating stories behind the songs that usher us into those holiday feels…some as early as Oct 25th…

Mom shares how to respond to an apology confidently. It's great advice for kids and adults.

Sometimes, "It's okay," just isn't okay.

Yasmina Elmerkaoui, a beauty influencer and founder of Merkau, is getting a lot of love on TikTok because she reminds everyone that there is more than one way to respond to an apology. Sometimes, all you have to do is say, “Thank you.” If you were the one who was wronged, why does someone get to control your reaction just because they apologized?

Her thoughts were eye-opening to many people conditioned to give a knee-jerk “It’s okay” response when someone apologizes, even though what they ask forgiveness for probably isn’t “okay.” Elmerkaoui shared her thoughts on a September 2024 episode of the “Hanging for More” podcast she hosts with Maggie Younan.

Abandoned dog was nearly a statue from dirty, matted fur. Watch his rescue transformation.

His back legs were stiff from all the fur and dirt, but he found a kind human to help.

Most people will never understand what would drive a person to abandon an animal that depends on them for survival. Circumstances can quickly change in people's lives, which may cause them to not be able to care for their beloved pet, but typically if someone can no longer care for their pets they'll look for fosters, rescues or no kill shelters that will care for them.

Unfortunately, everyone doesn't make these sorts of efforts to ensure their pet is safe and loved. A DJ in Atlanta, Georgia, who goes by the moniker DJ Bae, recently became the unexpected dog mom of a dog that seems to have been abandoned. The woman wasn't intending on taking in the pup that kept following her and her little yorkie, Prince, but the pitiful looking dog just wouldn't leave her alone.