Bill Lawrence Reacts To That Ted Lasso Joke In The White Lotus Season 2 [Exclusive]

Bill Lawrence is responsible for some of TV's most memorable shows like "Spin City," "Scrubs," "Cougar Town," "Clone High," and most recently, "Ted Lasso." It's hard to overstate how sensational "Ted Lasso" has been since its debut in 2020, with the aggressively kindhearted show about Jason Sudeikis as an American football coach hired to manage a British soccer team becoming a worldwide phenomenon at a time (y'know, the start of the pandemic) when folks were in desperate need for some positivity. The show became must-see TV, and folks couldn't stop talking about why "Ted Lasso" was one of the best shows on air.

Of course, there are plenty of folks who either haven't seen or genuinely don't enjoy the Emmy Award-winning series. When it seems like everyone and their mother is watching a popular show, the contrarian desire to actively avoid it at all costs can rear its bitter head. The sentiment was perfectly expressed during season 2 of "The White Lotus," when Aubrey Plaza's character Harper boldly quips, "I don't watch 'Ted Lasso'" when pressed by her husband's friends if she's seen the show.

The moment perfectly captures Harper's worldview, metaphorically spitting in the faces of people she resents for being caught up in toxic positivity in other areas of their lives by throwing a dig at their favorite show. In a recent interview to promote Lawrence's new series, "Shrinking," /Film's Jack Giroux spoke with the prolific television creative to hear how he really felt about Mike White's limited series poking fun at his sentimental soccer series.

Bill Lawrence wasn't just a good sport about "The White Lotus" taking a jab at "Ted Lasso," he was thrilled by the inclusion. "Yeah, man. I love that stuff," he told /Film. "There's a community out here and I'm probably inviting something that ... be careful what you wish for." With so many incredible shows on his resume, "The White Lotus" certainly wasn't the first show to reference his previous work.

"I remember when Seth [MacFarlane] on 'Family Guy' was taking shots at 'Scrubs' and then on 'Community,' Dan Harmon had Abed (Danny Pudi), who loved 'Cougar Town.' So I think it's so fun, because at heart, I'm a nerd. I love TV. I watch it constantly. So as a fan nerd of that show and of Mike White, I was like, 'Yeah!' It doesn't mean I want to see people making jokes in every show next week, but 'Community' is a good example. I'll give everybody a cool Easter egg to go look for."

The in-universe love of "Cougar Town" on "Community" actually led to an unofficial crossover event. The season 2 episode "Critical Film Studies" features a story from Abed about being an extra on "Cougar Town," but getting so nervous he pooped his pants on set. Lawrence thought it was hilarious, and ended up having Danny Pudi appear as an extra in the "Cougar Town" episode "Something Good Coming, Part 2," where he is seen looking wicked uncomfortable in the background before running off screen, implied to be pooping his pants. "Not everybody knows that, even though they're on different networks and we didn't ask permission," Lawrence said. "I love that stuff."