If Apple TV+‘s hit comedy Ted Lasso is good at one thing, it’s introducing us to hilarious characters we fall head-over-heels for quickly. Case in point: We only met once-and-future WAG Shandy Fine (Ambreen Razia) last week and she’s already one of my favorite characters on the show. Shandy not only has popped up just in time to prop Keeley (Juno Temple) up in the wake of her breakup, but is 100% emblematic of one of Ted Lasso‘s core tenets, to be curious and not judgmental. While some folks — like Katy Wix’s Barbara — might assume the party girl has little to offer KJPR, Shandy has already shown she has a knack for PR born out of years of living in the public eye. Shandy is hands down a great addition to the world of Ted Lasso Season 3.
We first meet Shandy in Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 2 “(I Don’t Want to Go to) Chelsea.” Keeley is overseeing a commercial shoot where a tiny lamb is supposed to “drink” an energy drink in a club. While Keeley’s colleagues don’t take her seriously, old bestie Shandy certainly does. Shandy is still stuck in the WAG world of making a living doing modeling, dating footballers, and, in this case, working background for Keeley’s commercial. Shandy first applauds Keeley for getting out and then helps put her friends’ doubters in their place by helping explain how to make the club look packed without the stress of hiring more extras last minute.
Naturally, Keeley gets the clever idea to hire Shandy for KJPR. While it’s still unclear how many of Shandy’s ideas are brilliant and how many are borderline dangerous — you know, the players might not want to go viral for saying something crazy in an interview — she is a welcome addition to the show. Some of the show’s funniest, sweetest scenes are when the ladies of Ted Lasso come together. Adding yet another feminine voice to the mix helps illuminate more dimensions of Ted Lasso and its characters. Plus it’s nice to give Keeley a feminine link to her WAG past. We’ve typically only explored that part of her life through the lens of the men she’s dated. Seeing her giggle alongside a fellow WAG is charming.
But the thing I love most about Shandy is her secret savvy for PR is emblematic of one of Ted Lasso‘s greatest tenets: “Be curious, not judgmental.” While other characters within the world of Ted Lasso might assume Shandy, and by extension, Keeley, aren’t up to the task set before them, both women have an innate understanding of PR that comes from years of making tabloid headlines.
Shandy Fine is sweet, seductive, and most of all, hilarious. She is a great addition to the Ted Lasso universe.
