Apple TV+’s monster hit comedy ‘Ted Lasso’ seemingly came to an end this week with the final episode of season 3.
If you want to avoid spoilers for ‘Ted Lasso’ season 3, stop reading this article now.
Lead star Jason Sudeikis has always said that he envisioned a three-season arc for the show but due to the ratings and critical acclaim, it was widely thought that Apple TV+ were hedging their bets that they could extend the run of the show. Following Wednesday’s season 3 finale, it looks like there could be a future for the show but it’s looking increasingly likely that it’ll be without Ted.
In the final episode, Ted returned home to be with his son after leading AFC Richmond to near glory in the Premiership. It was also subtly hinted that he might have reunited with his ex-wife too, who was seen cheering on their son in a football match during the final moments. With Ted now gone, does that mean the show is over? Not necessarily, as the finale seeded a couple of ways that it could continue on.
Rebecca and Keeley
Keeley (Juno Temple) resurrected her PR firm and pitched to Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham), who sold 49% of AFC Richmond to fans, the idea of starting an AFC Richmond Women’s team. Rebecca and Keeley’s relationship has been one of the high points of ‘Ted Lasso’ so it could be fun to see the two women turning this dream into a reality.
AFC Richmond minus Ted
Trent Crimm (James Lance) was encouraged by Ted to rename his book from ‘The Lasso Way’ to ‘The Richmond Way’. That could very well carry through to a continuation of the series. With Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) now in Ted’s place and Nate (Nick Mohammed) back as assistant coach alongside Beard (Brendan Hunt), surely the series could continue on as AFC Richmond fight to keep their place in the Premiership and try to win next season. If the show did continue on like this, Ted could pop back every now and again, meaning that Sudeikis doesn’t have to commit to months of filming here in the UK.
Should ‘Ted Lasso’ continue?
This is the big question. I recently wrote about how I felt ‘Ted Lasso’ had lost its magic after a frustrating third season that never really found its groove until the last few episodes. The plots were all over the place, characters separated out from the main storylines and a truly unconvincing redemption arc for Nate. That having been said, there’s no denying that when ‘Ted Lasso’ gets it right, it’s a feel-good show full of heart, warmth and laughs like no other show on TV.
While the series has still not been announced as officially over, fans are making their thoughts known on social media. They want to see the show continue on in some form, with or without Ted. There’s even a fan theory that the happy endings we saw for all the characters was Ted daydreaming while on his flight back to the US.
What the writers did do a good job of doing over the course of ‘Ted Lasso’ is fleshing out the supporting cast. If the series does continue under a different title without Ted, I can see it feeling very similar and if all of the cast, minus Sudeikis, signs on there are definitely more stories that can be told.
Despite being disappointed with large parts of season 3, I think there’s life in the show yet so I’d love to see what the writers come up with. I, like so many fans of the show, am not ready to leave Richmond yet so hopefully one of the two continuations I mentioned (or maybe both of them in one show) will happen. Time will tell!
‘Ted Lasso’ seasons 1 – 3 is streaming now on Apple TV+.
