--- name: "Joe Kelly" canonical: "https://film.one/person/joe-kelly" fi1m_id: "joe-kelly" imdb_id: "nm1918708" tmdb_id: 1222180 roles: ["Writer","Producer"] born: "24 September 1972" reviewed_on_fi1m: 3 average_fi1m_score: 69 average_as: "writer" average_over: 3 updated: "2026-10-13T21:37:07.260045+00:00" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Joe Kelly ## Identity Joe Kelly - **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/joe-kelly - **Type:** Person - **Fi1m ID:** joe-kelly - **IMDb ID:** nm1918708 - **TMDB ID:** 1222180 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1918708/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1222180 Writer and producer. Born 24 September 1972 in Fairlawn, New Jersey, USA. ## Details - **Work:** Writer, Producer - **Born:** 24 September 1972, Fairlawn, New Jersey, USA - **Active:** 2005–present - **Also known as:** Joseph A. Kelly - **Frequently works with:** [Brett Goldstein](https://film.one/person/brett-goldstein.md) - **Average Fi1m score:** 69, as writer, over 3 titles - **Fi1m score by decade:** 2000s 74 (1), 2020s 66 (2) - **Score spread:** 0 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 1 under 60 - **Genres:** Comedy 3, Drama 1, Romance 1, Sport 1 - **Screen time:** 2 hours of reviewed films - **Elsewhere:** https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1918708/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1222180 ## Streaming the US now - **Apple TV:** [*Ted Lasso*](https://film.one/tv/ted-lasso.md) (78) - **Disney+:** [*How I Met Your Mother*](https://film.one/tv/how-i-met-your-mother.md) (74) - **Netflix:** [*Office Romance*](https://film.one/film/office-romance.md) (55) For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country. ## Fi1m on Joe Kelly > Joe Kelly’s comedies work best when a cast has room to play off one another. We like their warmth and company, though the writing can mistake a familiar comic setup for a finished joke. Ted’s enthusiasm meets British reserve in *Ted Lasso* (2020), and the writing sometimes behaves as though the encounter has already supplied the punchline. Joe Kelly’s work is worth watching for the people who deliver those lines, though we wish the jokes were more dependable. We warmed to this series because Jason Sudeikis and the responsive ensemble make the enthusiasm appealing even when the cultural clashes feel laboured. There is pleasure in their company, and not always enough comic invention to match it. Kelly began on the writing staff of *Saturday Night Live* in 2004, then worked as a writer, story editor and producer on *How I Met Your Mother* (2005). Its recurring gags and non-linear storytelling gave him experience of carrying comic ideas beyond a sketch. We rate it as a funny, cleverly constructed sitcom, with Neil Patrick Harris the strongest reason to stay. The writing can also seem too pleased with itself, making Ted Mosby’s search for love feel longer than necessary. Once again, the cast earns some forgiveness for uneven jokes. Co-creating *Detroiters* (2017) with Tim Robinson and Sam Richardson moved Kelly towards building a programme from the start. He then co-created *Ted Lasso* with Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt and Bill Lawrence, continuing his work on workplace ensemble comedies. Football need not be the chief attraction of a sports comedy: the interplay between characters is a substantial part of what we like about this one. These are shared writing credits, so there is little sense in claiming that every successful exchange, or every weak one, belongs to Kelly. The reservation is specific: *Ted Lasso* too often expects American optimism and British reserve to be funny without finding a fresh detail in either. Familiarity can help a sitcom, but it cannot do all the writing, and anyone unmoved by Ted’s manner has fewer alternatives than they should. We would like more particular surprises from Kelly and his fellow writers, not less warmth. Start with *Ted Lasso* for Sudeikis and the ensemble; allow for stretches when the company is better than the comedy. ## Biography Joe Kelly is a writer and producer. He was born on 24 September 1972 in Fairlawn, New Jersey. He studied and performed improv at the Second City and Improv Olympic in Chicago. Kelly is a co-creator of the Apple TV+ series *Ted Lasso* (2020–), on which he has also served as writer, teleplay writer and story writer, alongside Jason Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence and Brendan Hunt. He is a co-creator of the Comedy Central series *Detroiters* (2017–2018) and has written for *How I Met Your Mother* (2005–2014) and *Saturday Night Live* (1975–). He co-wrote the 2026 film *Office Romance*. For his work on *Ted Lasso* he received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations and shared in two wins for Outstanding Comedy Series. *Sources: imdb.com, deadline.com.* ## On Fi1m (3) - *Office Romance* (2026), Fi1m 55, Writer, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/office-romance.md) - *Ted Lasso* (2020), Fi1m 78, Writer, Executive Producer, Teleplay, Story, Consulting Producer, Creator — [page](https://film.one/tv/ted-lasso.md) - *How I Met Your Mother* (2005), Fi1m 74, Co-Executive Producer, Supervising Producer, Co-Producer, Writer, Executive Story Editor, Story Editor — [page](https://film.one/tv/how-i-met-your-mother.md) ## Complete filmography (8) Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page. - *Office Romance* (2026), Producer, Writer — Fi1m 55, [page](https://film.one/film/office-romance.md) - *Ted Lasso* (2020), series, Story, Teleplay, Consulting Producer, Executive Producer, Writer, Creator — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/tv/ted-lasso.md) - *Detroiters* (2017), series, Executive Producer, Creator - *Thank You and Sorry* (2015), series, Writer - *The Winner* (2007), series, Story Editor - *Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner* (2006), Writer - *How I Met Your Mother* (2005), series, Writer, Co-Producer, Supervising Producer, Co-Executive Producer, Story Editor, Executive Story Editor — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/tv/how-i-met-your-mother.md) - *Major League: Back to the Minors* (1998), as Miracles Catcher --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/joe-kelly