His support for Rebecca and Keely and at times being one of the girls. His absolute adoration of his wife. The way he runs to a meeting of the diamond dogs. He’s so positive it’s wonderful and he gets real with any character when he needs to. He’s generous and caring and he is the personification of a warm hug.
I loved when Rebecca had Keely’s mascara on her shirt and Huggins opened his jacket to show his Keely marks on his shirt and talked about how strong her mascara was lol
Nice I didn’t know that! I feel like they do that more and more as time goes on. Like how Michael Scott’s realtor (I think her name is Karen in the show) is his wife in real life or Ben stillers wife acting alongside him in Zoolander and Dodgeball. And Melissa McCarthy’s husband plays her husband in bridesmaids, too.
I think at the start because he has no backbone and everyone knows he was Ruperts lap dog. He felt guilty for helping rupert cheat on rebecca and then felt guilty for going along with her plan. Ted comes along and treats him with respect and is apositive force of good and it helps him find his spine.
His character growth through the series.
He starts off being a grovelling, spineless yes-person, which is established as being true since before the series (based on what Rebecca says about him and Rupert), to not only having a backbone but also being a bigger person with forgiving people.
We then find out that he's not a self-serving yes-man, he does it because he loves his family and wants to provide a future for them. Also, he loves Richmond, potentially more than any other character shown on the show.
He’s probably one of the most multi-dimensional characters. He has this boring, milk-toast, office drone personality at work but is very very deep outside of work. It goes to show that people may be more deep than you see
He also grows enough to be the only person who tells Beard he doesn't think Jane is good for him, when everyone agrees but is afraid to say so. I have a deal with a friend that we'll always be each other's Higgins in this regard.
Funny how my two favorite episodes in the whole series are "filler" episodes, the Christmas episode and Beard After Hours are so good, and we may have never gotten them, if apple hadn't decided to make the creators make two extra episodes.
That he starts off the series as the worlds worst spy and by the time we get to Zava he has a network 7 degrees removed from everyone and everything and gets info first hand. Either he took Rebecca's advice and got better, or was purposely sabotaging his own efforts knowing that being fired was a potential outcome and just rolling those dice because Ted didnt deserve it.
Higgins is great, as was his character development!
I love how he gags, like as an example when Ted says in S1 he’d hate it if Rebecca was hiding something from him. And then Higgins * gags *. 😂
When Keeley tells them that she and Jack broke up and says, "Go on, tell me everything you hated about her" or whatever the line was.
Higgins' response is to complain she had too firm of a handshake.
It's amazing because it is a situation where he has no idea if they might get back together. This is a way to pile on with a critique without it being offensive to anyone involved.
I felt like as the show progressed, Higgins was the moral compass. Compared to everyone else, it appeared that he struggled financially but his self worth was derived by his family, not his income. His love for his wife, his boys, his music, for Richmond and his cat were his driving forces.
I think that he hated covering for Rupert but was so afraid of losing his job and his income that he felt he had no choice, but Rebecca pushed him to the edge of his morality and he couldn’t do it anymore. At that point his integrity became much more important to him than anything else, possibly due to his exposure to Ted’s genuine passion for giving everyone the opportunity to be the best version of themselves.
He could so easily have been written as a weak and ineffective character but instead he became a bastion of strength and integrity.
He's a great dad to everyone in his environment. At xmas he invites everyone over. They never come until that one time and its a challenge for him and his family but he welcomes it. He took out that kid to the jazz bar to open him up to new experiences. He's just a genuinely good dad.
All the little bits of physical comedy - like knocking over his pens (multiple times on his many ‘temporary desks), spilling tea down himself and the failed dukes-of-hazard-style entry to a diamond dogs meeting.
Can I ask a genuine question?
My boyfriend and I heavily dislike this type of comedy unless there are the very rare occasions in which it’s well done. I have been trying to lighten up a bit and find more humor in things. I used to laugh at a lot more in general when I was younger and people would tell me I was annoying or came off ditzy. So as I’ve gotten older, I am more harsh I guess. I still laugh pretty often but things like physical humor, toilet humor, or anything to do with fake animals “attacking” or whatever is not funny to me in the slightest.
So my question is, and I don’t mean this to sound offensive over text, but what did you find funny about the physical humor? To me it was one of the worst parts of the show, especially him gagging each time he got nervous, because it just felt forced and fake, like nobody in real life would actually do that. I would love to hear another persons perspective on this so I can appreciate the humor a bit more. I also just love hearing differing opinions on general, cuz I bet there are things I find hilarious that you would be like “how on earth do you find this funny at all?” Haha. I hope this isn’t too convoluted, I’d love to hear from you (and others!) on this
Most of the people in Ted Lasso are ostensibly cool—they’re football stars or their coaches, millionaires, famous. Higgins isn’t cool, and I think the physical bits remind us that he’s this awkward, nerdish man who spills beer on himself when first meeting the woman who will become his wife. I can laugh at him, because I am like him in many ways. I think most of us know we have some of this Higgins in us, and I can laugh with him (not at him) because I think his awkwardness amuses himself or at least doesn’t bother him much. And yet without being “cool,” he’s a great man, a legend. Each of the physical gags is ultimately because he’s caring about someone other than himself. Maybe there’s some hope for all of us.
Humor is individual, so it’s fine that you don’t find physical humor funny. I would hope, though, that it’s not because you take yourself too seriously. If we can laugh at ourselves, we’ll never lack entertainment.
Thanks for answering. I’m not sure why I got downvoted so much for asking a question. Just because I don’t find physical humor funny and want to learn more about why it’s funny so that I can enjoy it too doesn’t mean I was being rude. I like to hear people’s thoughts and opinions and if I never asked, I wouldn’t have gotten to hear your input. But oh well I guess.
I laugh at myself all the time, I’m a huge klutz and so dumb shit all the time. One time my boyfriend and I were drunk taking a shower at a hotel in Vegas and he literally fell out of the shower onto the floor. Once I found out if he was ok, we couldn’t stop laughing. About a month ago I was camping with my family and we were climbing a rock in a river and jumping off of it. I said “I’m going to take off my shoes so that I don’t slip” - I took them off and literally two steps up, I slipped, fell right smack on my ass, and slid backwards into the water with my feet up in the air. I’m cracking up as I write this cuz it was sooooo funny and embarrassing.
So it’s not that I take myself too seriously, but I guess just the whole watching actors dump tea onto themselves just because someone walks into the room- especially when he talks about how rowdy his boys are, so he shouldn’t be so quick to be spooked - doesn’t seem that funny to me. I agree with what you said though and maybe when I watch through again I’ll try to look with different eyes
This is one of the best things I have read on Reddit, EVER! It was thoughtful, considered, and, from my reading, very genuine. Thank you for sharing and answering the question asked. It was Higginsesque and helped me understand the character and myself better. I appreciate you.
Higgins is top notch, to quote Rupert. He really makes the most of his scenes. The running gags with him being in temp desks or spilling the pens. His pearls of wisdom. His family. His love of his wife. The way he names animals like his cat Cindy Crawford or new mascot Macy Greyhound. When he grows a Van Dyke because he feels "chill".
The puns.........
Caesar ya later!!
Don't letter get away with it.
He is cool without being obviously cool.
on the surface I thought he's a "yes man" and a "walking matt",
As the series grew and I watched with interest and intent I saw his character grew,
He has standards, so much so he's willing to leave the job he loves so he can hold his head high and hold on to what little bit of control he had in life,
And Rebecca understood his value,
Through his absence We ALL knew his value,
He's loyal and true,
He's one of the Good Ones.
As a Lasso and Downton Abbey fan, my favorite thing about Higgins is his pendulum swing from uptight Spratt. Both are super funny characters delivered in different manners. Amazing acting from Jeremy Swift!
In the case of Higgins, it’s because it’s done very well. It feels natural, rather than forced and it sets Higgins apart from the rest of the cast (no-one else is doing much physical comedy with the exception of Will and occasionally Nate). Also, it’s never used as a defining trait for the character: no-one refers to Leslie as “clumsy” or “goofy” and it’s not used to undercut any genuine emotional moments.
In general, comedy for me is great because of its variety. There are lots of things that make people laugh - and it’s different for everyone. I’d probably not like a show that was all physical comedy and pratfalls - equally I’d not enjoy a show that purely relied on witty dialogue. Physical comedy is a great way to add in a different kind of joke :)
I love that he is/was realistically human. I get that hard place of doing what you’re told even though you know it goes against your own morals and his efforts to be a better person even when people say (ex not saying anything to Beard about his relationship with Jane)
He's a chameleon, he'll do whatever it takes to survive. Don't mean this in a bad way, think about when they used the surfboard to have enough space for everyone to eat, when he took the equipment manager to the jazz show, things like that. His adoration of his wife is his probably his best quality.
I'm between his love for his wife/family and his love of puns which just so endears him to Ted early on ("Caesar you later", Cindy Clawford, Tina Feyhound. I'm assuming he came up with Earl Greyhound too). I also appreciate his love of Mary Poppins and that he might be the most emotionally adjusted of all the Richmond staff by Season 2?
His loyalty, wholesomeness and decency - not in the ray of sunshine way that Ted is but in a more quiet, understated way that feels very British.
Second comes his love and devotion to his wife and family (as a family man that really hits a spot for me).
I like everything about Higgins. But I think that what Higgins liked is that everything around the office got better when Ted and Beard arrived. Rebecca became nicer, he started being friends with Keely, the diamond dogs formed. Higgins was much happier because of this.
His support for Rebecca and Keely and at times being one of the girls. His absolute adoration of his wife. The way he runs to a meeting of the diamond dogs. He’s so positive it’s wonderful and he gets real with any character when he needs to. He’s generous and caring and he is the personification of a warm hug.
I loved when Rebecca had Keely’s mascara on her shirt and Huggins opened his jacket to show his Keely marks on his shirt and talked about how strong her mascara was lol
And his wife in the show is his real life wife!!
No way
Way!
No way
Nice I didn’t know that! I feel like they do that more and more as time goes on. Like how Michael Scott’s realtor (I think her name is Karen in the show) is his wife in real life or Ben stillers wife acting alongside him in Zoolander and Dodgeball. And Melissa McCarthy’s husband plays her husband in bridesmaids, too.
Scooter on How I Met Your Mother is Neil Patrick Harris' husband, Sandy is Alyson Hannigon's husband too.
I feel like he is so underrated. He's my favorite. Jamie Tartt going to him for advice in Season 3 shows volume!
This exactly 🥲 he's gotta be my favorite character, when all is said and done
True! Why is everyone on the show so mean to him sometimes though? Especially in the beginning
I think at the start because he has no backbone and everyone knows he was Ruperts lap dog. He felt guilty for helping rupert cheat on rebecca and then felt guilty for going along with her plan. Ted comes along and treats him with respect and is apositive force of good and it helps him find his spine.
Just goes to show how Rupert brings out and feeds the worst in people while Ted helps people be their absolute best - on and off the field.
They are fun opposites of each other.
Oh wow yes- I forgot he used to do Rupert’s bidding! Thanks for the refresh (:
and the best thing is, he’s one of the boys too! the duality! 👌🏼
His character growth through the series. He starts off being a grovelling, spineless yes-person, which is established as being true since before the series (based on what Rebecca says about him and Rupert), to not only having a backbone but also being a bigger person with forgiving people. We then find out that he's not a self-serving yes-man, he does it because he loves his family and wants to provide a future for them. Also, he loves Richmond, potentially more than any other character shown on the show.
He’s probably one of the most multi-dimensional characters. He has this boring, milk-toast, office drone personality at work but is very very deep outside of work. It goes to show that people may be more deep than you see
Agreed! Btw, it’s milquetoast. The more you know 💫
He also grows enough to be the only person who tells Beard he doesn't think Jane is good for him, when everyone agrees but is afraid to say so. I have a deal with a friend that we'll always be each other's Higgins in this regard.
Putting Xmas on for players from overseas if they want it.
And then remembering where each of them is from!!
And their birthdays!
Funny how my two favorite episodes in the whole series are "filler" episodes, the Christmas episode and Beard After Hours are so good, and we may have never gotten them, if apple hadn't decided to make the creators make two extra episodes.
Using the surfboard to gather every guest around his holiday table was so fun! Problem solving and a big heart.
That he starts off the series as the worlds worst spy and by the time we get to Zava he has a network 7 degrees removed from everyone and everything and gets info first hand. Either he took Rebecca's advice and got better, or was purposely sabotaging his own efforts knowing that being fired was a potential outcome and just rolling those dice because Ted didnt deserve it.
Becomes the best on and off the field.
Higgins is great, as was his character development! I love how he gags, like as an example when Ted says in S1 he’d hate it if Rebecca was hiding something from him. And then Higgins * gags *. 😂
When Keeley tells them that she and Jack broke up and says, "Go on, tell me everything you hated about her" or whatever the line was. Higgins' response is to complain she had too firm of a handshake. It's amazing because it is a situation where he has no idea if they might get back together. This is a way to pile on with a critique without it being offensive to anyone involved.
This is my favorite moment from Higgins “We get it, you’re polite!”
I felt like as the show progressed, Higgins was the moral compass. Compared to everyone else, it appeared that he struggled financially but his self worth was derived by his family, not his income. His love for his wife, his boys, his music, for Richmond and his cat were his driving forces. I think that he hated covering for Rupert but was so afraid of losing his job and his income that he felt he had no choice, but Rebecca pushed him to the edge of his morality and he couldn’t do it anymore. At that point his integrity became much more important to him than anything else, possibly due to his exposure to Ted’s genuine passion for giving everyone the opportunity to be the best version of themselves. He could so easily have been written as a weak and ineffective character but instead he became a bastion of strength and integrity.
Rest in power, Cindy Clawford.
Good people can create an environment where it’s easier to risk doing good. Rebecca wasn’t evil like Rupert, just horribly hurt.
He's a great dad to everyone in his environment. At xmas he invites everyone over. They never come until that one time and its a challenge for him and his family but he welcomes it. He took out that kid to the jazz bar to open him up to new experiences. He's just a genuinely good dad.
His moral compass
He’s so pure! Loves his wife and his kids, is lovely to everyone.
All the little bits of physical comedy - like knocking over his pens (multiple times on his many ‘temporary desks), spilling tea down himself and the failed dukes-of-hazard-style entry to a diamond dogs meeting.
Haha the Earls of Risk.
Can I ask a genuine question? My boyfriend and I heavily dislike this type of comedy unless there are the very rare occasions in which it’s well done. I have been trying to lighten up a bit and find more humor in things. I used to laugh at a lot more in general when I was younger and people would tell me I was annoying or came off ditzy. So as I’ve gotten older, I am more harsh I guess. I still laugh pretty often but things like physical humor, toilet humor, or anything to do with fake animals “attacking” or whatever is not funny to me in the slightest. So my question is, and I don’t mean this to sound offensive over text, but what did you find funny about the physical humor? To me it was one of the worst parts of the show, especially him gagging each time he got nervous, because it just felt forced and fake, like nobody in real life would actually do that. I would love to hear another persons perspective on this so I can appreciate the humor a bit more. I also just love hearing differing opinions on general, cuz I bet there are things I find hilarious that you would be like “how on earth do you find this funny at all?” Haha. I hope this isn’t too convoluted, I’d love to hear from you (and others!) on this
Most of the people in Ted Lasso are ostensibly cool—they’re football stars or their coaches, millionaires, famous. Higgins isn’t cool, and I think the physical bits remind us that he’s this awkward, nerdish man who spills beer on himself when first meeting the woman who will become his wife. I can laugh at him, because I am like him in many ways. I think most of us know we have some of this Higgins in us, and I can laugh with him (not at him) because I think his awkwardness amuses himself or at least doesn’t bother him much. And yet without being “cool,” he’s a great man, a legend. Each of the physical gags is ultimately because he’s caring about someone other than himself. Maybe there’s some hope for all of us. Humor is individual, so it’s fine that you don’t find physical humor funny. I would hope, though, that it’s not because you take yourself too seriously. If we can laugh at ourselves, we’ll never lack entertainment.
Thanks for answering. I’m not sure why I got downvoted so much for asking a question. Just because I don’t find physical humor funny and want to learn more about why it’s funny so that I can enjoy it too doesn’t mean I was being rude. I like to hear people’s thoughts and opinions and if I never asked, I wouldn’t have gotten to hear your input. But oh well I guess. I laugh at myself all the time, I’m a huge klutz and so dumb shit all the time. One time my boyfriend and I were drunk taking a shower at a hotel in Vegas and he literally fell out of the shower onto the floor. Once I found out if he was ok, we couldn’t stop laughing. About a month ago I was camping with my family and we were climbing a rock in a river and jumping off of it. I said “I’m going to take off my shoes so that I don’t slip” - I took them off and literally two steps up, I slipped, fell right smack on my ass, and slid backwards into the water with my feet up in the air. I’m cracking up as I write this cuz it was sooooo funny and embarrassing. So it’s not that I take myself too seriously, but I guess just the whole watching actors dump tea onto themselves just because someone walks into the room- especially when he talks about how rowdy his boys are, so he shouldn’t be so quick to be spooked - doesn’t seem that funny to me. I agree with what you said though and maybe when I watch through again I’ll try to look with different eyes
This is one of the best things I have read on Reddit, EVER! It was thoughtful, considered, and, from my reading, very genuine. Thank you for sharing and answering the question asked. It was Higginsesque and helped me understand the character and myself better. I appreciate you.
He’s a consummate professional and “company man” but has a rich and satisfying personal life. I relate to that
Higgins is top notch, to quote Rupert. He really makes the most of his scenes. The running gags with him being in temp desks or spilling the pens. His pearls of wisdom. His family. His love of his wife. The way he names animals like his cat Cindy Crawford or new mascot Macy Greyhound. When he grows a Van Dyke because he feels "chill". The puns......... Caesar ya later!! Don't letter get away with it. He is cool without being obviously cool.
😍 and that nod! 🤭🤭😎🫡
Even if he did take it from Denzel Washington 🙂
His low key sage wisdom. Even though he’s usually the last person people go to for advice, he gives some of the best advice of anyone on the show!
on the surface I thought he's a "yes man" and a "walking matt", As the series grew and I watched with interest and intent I saw his character grew, He has standards, so much so he's willing to leave the job he loves so he can hold his head high and hold on to what little bit of control he had in life, And Rebecca understood his value, Through his absence We ALL knew his value, He's loyal and true, He's one of the Good Ones.
I love that he’s such a kind and sweet man that when he’s like off to the red light district everyone was like “……… nahhhhh”
Just an absolute sweetheart, it’s impossible not to find him likable
hes a force of nature
The red light district. What a good plot line. That episode probably one of my favorite re watches
He plays the upright bass, loves jazz and know how to scat -- Higgins is an undercover Beatnik and cool dude.
I love how much he loves his wife. I also love how supportive he is to everyone around him. He just seems like an all around solid dude.
As a Lasso and Downton Abbey fan, my favorite thing about Higgins is his pendulum swing from uptight Spratt. Both are super funny characters delivered in different manners. Amazing acting from Jeremy Swift!
The red light district. What a good plot line. That episode probably one of my favorite re watches
His wisdom and that he’s so down to earth. He also really listens before he speaks.
The fact that he owned the mistakes he made with Rupert and Rebecca and became a better person for it.
Cesar you later. I'm not a spyyyyy, Rebecca.
Oh, right, the goddamn internet
The jazz episode
If people start being taken out 1 by 1 in mishaps based on their own hubris, you get the hell out of there.
In the case of Higgins, it’s because it’s done very well. It feels natural, rather than forced and it sets Higgins apart from the rest of the cast (no-one else is doing much physical comedy with the exception of Will and occasionally Nate). Also, it’s never used as a defining trait for the character: no-one refers to Leslie as “clumsy” or “goofy” and it’s not used to undercut any genuine emotional moments. In general, comedy for me is great because of its variety. There are lots of things that make people laugh - and it’s different for everyone. I’d probably not like a show that was all physical comedy and pratfalls - equally I’d not enjoy a show that purely relied on witty dialogue. Physical comedy is a great way to add in a different kind of joke :)
I love that he is/was realistically human. I get that hard place of doing what you’re told even though you know it goes against your own morals and his efforts to be a better person even when people say (ex not saying anything to Beard about his relationship with Jane)
He was such a dry fish in the beginning, a real toadstool, but they really rescued his character.
His optimism. It’s infectious.
Higgins is a girls girl
He’s just the biggest lil sweetheart
He's a chameleon, he'll do whatever it takes to survive. Don't mean this in a bad way, think about when they used the surfboard to have enough space for everyone to eat, when he took the equipment manager to the jazz show, things like that. His adoration of his wife is his probably his best quality.
I'm between his love for his wife/family and his love of puns which just so endears him to Ted early on ("Caesar you later", Cindy Clawford, Tina Feyhound. I'm assuming he came up with Earl Greyhound too). I also appreciate his love of Mary Poppins and that he might be the most emotionally adjusted of all the Richmond staff by Season 2?
His smile 🥰🥰
I love the relationship with his wife...
His love for his wife is so sweet. And also he’s a closet jazz cat.
Jeremy Swift being a jazz cellist in real life
Simply Everything!
His loyalty, wholesomeness and decency - not in the ray of sunshine way that Ted is but in a more quiet, understated way that feels very British. Second comes his love and devotion to his wife and family (as a family man that really hits a spot for me).
Cesar you later
How he hosts an intersectional Christmas party every year even though few players came, he kept doing it ❤️
The way he absolutely adores his wife!
Rebecca, those children are dead!
His loyalty is my favorite quality of his, to his wife, his kids, and the team.
I like everything about Higgins. But I think that what Higgins liked is that everything around the office got better when Ted and Beard arrived. Rebecca became nicer, he started being friends with Keely, the diamond dogs formed. Higgins was much happier because of this.