Editors A.J. Catoline and Melissa McCoy’s run on Ted Lasso (Apple TV+) has been fulfilling on several levels. For one, each editor has garnered a pair of Emmy nominations as well as two ACE Eddie nods for their work on the series dating back to season one--with Catoline winning a Best Editing Emmy in 2021 for “The Hope That Kills You” episode.
But beyond the gratification of awards recognition, Catoline and McCoy value the deep personal and professional bond they have formed with one another and their assorted collaborators on Ted Lasso, making for a close-knit creative community. Furthermore the editors have felt blessed to be given the opportunity to contribute to a series that is much more than just a comedy; some might even say it’s comedy with a purpose--promoting the value of kindness.
When jurors bestowed a Peabody Award upon Ted Lasso in 2021, they issued a statement which described the show as “a smart, funny, captivating celebration of good heartedness.” Jason Sudeikis portrays the title character, a folksy American college football coach who is enticed to the U.K. to lead a down-on-their luck Premiere League soccer team. The show’s heart comes from the quietly radical way that Lasso, a man in a position of power, chooses kindness at every turn without sacrificing his authority. He coaches a highly competitive group of athletes to perform at the highest level by embracing vulnerability, empathy and decency. Peabody judges characterized Lasso as “affecting change by being a deeply good human, one with his own quiet anxieties and pain. The Apple TV+ series is the perfect counter to the enduring prevalence of toxic masculinity, both on-screen and off, in a moment when the nation truly needs inspiring models of kindness.”
Catoline observed that it’s transformative to be involved with a show that “touches people” in a positive way. “That makes me work through these long hours of editing, knowing that it’s for a good purpose--the love that the show gives on screen and also within our crew. Everybody chips in and participates."
Both Catoline and McCoy have seen their approach to editing comedy evolve on Ted Lasso. Going into the show, they were accustomed to TV comedy being fast paced, moving from one laugh to the next. But with the character-driven comedy woven into the fabric of this series, McCoy said she learned in season one “to slow down” and “let the characters react, linger on them a bit.”
Catoline added, “It was eye-opening to me that comedy doesn’t always play fast,” that there’s value in taking time to pause and look around the room. “That continues to be a learning experience that I hope I can carry onto other shows.”
As Ted Lasso has progressed, so too have opportunities for the development of other characters grown deeper from season to season. “Jason Sudeikis is very generous with the rest of the cast. The show’s called Ted Lasso but it’s not just about him,” pointed out Catoline, citing the arcs of such characters as Jamie Tartt (portrayed by Phil Dunster) and Nathan Shelley (Nick Mohammed) in season three.
McCoy said that Sudeikis and co-creator Bill Lawrence want talent to “take big swings which is an exciting way to work” as actors, directors, cinematographers, editors and other artisans are encouraged to elevate their game, to help create what Sudeikis describes as “movie magic” with new ideas, a different spin or something special that can be brought into the creative mix.
This is all based on trust. For example, said Catoline, as an editor he’s learned from Sudeikis and Lawrence that the show “has the comedy horses if you will. We need to trust in them and let them run,” making the most of the cast’s talent and ability to deliver nuanced performances.
While Catoline and McCoy individually edit their respective episodes, they still actively collaborate, going back and forth with the entire season in mind. “The storylines carry through the season,” related McCoy. “Each individual episode doesn’t exist on an island. We have to know what’s happening in each other’s episodes, what is happening next, what we can do here to make it land there properly in the next episode.” McCoy noted that she and Catoline regularly discuss each other’s episodes, their tone and feel.
As earlier reported, McCoy’s entree into the series was in part due to her working relationship with Lawrence, having teamed with him on multiple episodes of the ABC series Whiskey Cavalier. During that time Lawrence was “workshopping” Ted Lasso with Sudeikis, piquing McCoy’s interest in the show. She recalled saying to Whiskey Cavalier producer Kip Kroeger to keep her in mind to edit Ted Lasso if it comes to pass.
Meanwhile helping Catoline get his foot in the door was that he worked with Sudeikis on a History Channel project at one point in which the actor/comedian spoofed Thomas Edison. Catoline also knew Kroeger who became supervising producer on Ted Lasso. The editor was brought into the series fold before he fully realized the full depth of the show. But when he subsequently saw finished scripts, began to see the footage coming in, he realized that his first foray into a Bill Lawrence production was for something much more than a comedy.
The editors’ attachment to the show escalated all the more for what shaped up to be its third and final season. McCoy said it was emotional to wrap season three. Similarly Catoline felt a responsibility to do justice to the show as it came to a close, making it akin to “a great ship coming in for a landing.”
Anastasia White
Production designer Anastasia White finds herself again in the awards season conversation--this time for her work on White House Plumbers (HBO), a political drama with comedic overtones. The series centers on two historical figures, former CIA official E. Howard Hunt (portrayed by Woody Harrelson) and ex-FBI agent G. Gordon Liddy (Justin Theroux) who planned and executed the break-in at the Democratic Party headquarters in the Watergate hotel and office complex.
Created by writers/executive producers Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck, White House Plumbers taps into the comedy acumen of director/EP David Mandel whose writing credits include Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm, with directorial turns on the latter as well as Veep. Mandel’s comedic sensibilities dovetailed nicely with the absurdities of the Watergate scandal, without diminishing its significance which ultimately led to President Nixon’s resignation.
White was drawn to White House Plumbers, describing herself as “immediately intrigued” by a synopsis she received from her agent. “The creators and cast were also a big draw for me and I loved the idea of a different story about Watergate with the added element of comedy. I hadn’t designed a period project before and was really eager to do so. I met with David Mandel, shared some ideas and we were on the same page about so many things. The approach on how to use certain colors and textures and emphasis on the characters all was discussed in our initial meeting.”
As for the hurdles posed to her by White House Plumbers, White shared, “The biggest challenges were finding the right locations for the Hunt and Liddy residences, and also hiding contemporary elements in the world. We wanted each character to have a distinctive look and their dwellings had to support the themes of their storyline. Both houses were fully shot on location and heavily modified. We had a few photographic references of Hunt’s exterior and his basement that we could work off of. With Liddy, we made our own rules. The great thing about us moving to the Hudson Valley (in the State of New York) during COVID is that we were introduced to so many new filming locations. Most had not been shot before, and there was a broad range of styles and looks for us to work with.”
White also credited her first-time collaborators on White House Plumbers, including art directors Brian Felty and Miles Michael, and set decorator Lisa Scoppa. “I had heard about Lisa so many times and knew she had a great eye,” said White. “She was recommended by a few designers that I highly respect. She and her set dec team were incredible collaborators.
“Miles came on as someone that had worked with our producers before and he was a great addition to our crew," continued White. “He really led the stage builds and kept such a positive tone for the crew. Bryan came recommended by my husband who had previously worked with him in Pittsburgh. He charged the plethora of location work we had in New York, DC and L.A. He was a great asset and came with so much experience.”
As for White’s experience, she has earned thus far three Excellence in Production Design Award nominations from the Art Directors Guild--winning the honor in 2017 for Mr. Robot, nominated for the same show the next year, and then coming up a nominee in 2019 for Homecoming, specifically the “Mandatory” episode.
This is the second installment of SHOOT's weekly 16-part The Road To Emmy Series of feature stories. Nominations will be announced and covered on July 12. Creative Arts Emmy winners will be reported on during the weekend of September 9 and 10, and primetime Emmy ceremony winners will be covered on September 18.