Ted Lasso's new season starts with video love letter to the Kansas City area

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The first episode of the new season of the television show, "Ted Lasso,is out, and it's a love letter to Kansas City. The premiere includes Gates Bar-B-Q, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, and the Country Club Plaza.

Jason Sudeikis, a Kansas City native, is the show's star and one of the writers.

Gates Bar-B-Q employees are already feeling the impact of having the television series film at one of its restaurants.

KSHB 41/Fabian Rosales

"It feels like I'm the lucky one," Beatrice Hooker, a Gates Bar-B-Q employee, said.

Since the show was filmed last summer, Hooker says customers have been coming in specifically to sit where Sudeikis sat during filming.

"When they come here, they want to sit here," she said. "You see what I'm saying? At the seat, the spot where he sat."

The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum also is featured in the new season. Bob Kendrick, the head of the museum, says visitors are already stopping by after watching the first episode.

"We couldn't buy that level of publicity," Kendrick said.

KSHB 41/Fabian Rosales

Kendrick says the exposure has already opened new doors for the museum.

"It opened up a lot of people's eyes to just how special this place really is," Kendrick said.

Nora Visser and Sean Visser, who were traveling from St. Louis to San Francisco, made a stop at the museum after getting a recommendation tied to the new season's release.

"Ted does an awesome portrayal of like, I feel like the best parts of Kansas City, and the BBQ is really good," Nora Visser said.

At the Country Club Plaza, where scenes were filmed last summer, the reaction has been equally enthusiastic.

"To be recognized on an international stage like this, next to the World Cup, this is a really great opportunity for us," Caroline Hogan, public relations and social media manager for the Country Club Plaza, said.

KSHB 41/Fabian Rosales

Hogan says the city has embraced the show — and the show has embraced the city.

"I love how Kansas City is really wrapping their arms around Ted Lasso and they're doing it right back to us," Hogan said.

"Plaza is just such an iconic space and we're so lucky to be a part of this show, this international show, and be a part of representing Kansas City," Hogan said.

For the KC Current, the spotlight from their part in the show also is an opportunity to grow their fan base.

"Watching this episode, I was tearing up," Missy Jenkins, the team's senior vice president, commercial, said.

KSHB 41/Fabian Rosales

Jenkins says seeing the team featured in the premiere was a career highlight.

"To watch this first episode and see our players, our stadium, and our fans showcased is one of the coolest experiences I know I've ever had in my professional career, but also as a sports fan," Jenkins said.

Jenkins says the organic nature of the exposure is something money can't replicate.

"You can't replicate that with an ad or a commercial," Jenkins said. "This kind of really organic, authentic way for us to show up on a television show, I think is just unbelievably exciting."

KSHB 41/Fabian Rosales

Fans went to Current Landing, next to CPKC Stadium, for a watch party.

"There's that love, that heart, that Midwest feel, if you will, right there on the screen," Richard Monroe, a Ted Lasso fan, said.

KSHB 41/Fabian Rosales

Ivo Ivanov, who traveled from Lawrence with his wife and daughter, said the show carries a message that resonates beyond sports.

"It was a very important show for us to become better human beings and not be as binary as a society," Ivanov said.

For Hooker, the whole experience comes down to one word.

"It's amazing. It really is," Hooker said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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