When Ted Lasso premiered in August 2020 it gave Apple TV+ its first big hit series. Spun off from a series of bits for NBC Sports, the Jason Sudeikis-led led show works on multiple layers. There is Sudeikis as the quirky titular character, an ultra-positive man who is now a fish out of water, trading in coaching American football for moving across the pond to coach British football, a sport he knows nothing about. There are also the series' multiple fascinating supporting characters, from the grumpy aging footballer Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein), the strong but vulnerable AFC Richmond owner Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham), and a self-doubting coach, Nate Shelley (Nick Mohammed), weighed down by his insecurities.
In Ted Lasso's first two seasons, the series racked up a plethora of Emmy wins, including winning the award for Outstanding Comedy Series each year. Season 3 has dipped in quality in the opinion of some, but it's still a great show filled with lovable characters. Sadly, however, we may soon have to let those characters go, as many of Ted Lasso's cast have spoken out about this being the last season. While it would be a huge loss to see such a tremendous series end already, Apple TV+ hasn't said anything about Ted Lasso coming to an end, even as the third season closes in on its finale. So what's going on?
Jason Sudeikis & Others Have Said That 'Ted Lasso' Is Ending
Before even getting to Season 3 of Ted Lasso, the cast started revealing that this would be the endpoint. Jason Sudeikis said as far back as June 2021 in an Entertainment Weekly interview, "The story that's being told — that three-season arc — is one that I see, know, and understood. I'm glad that they are willing to pay for those three seasons. As far as what happens after that, who knows? I don't know."
Brendan Hunt, a Ted Lasso co-creator and the actor behind Coach Beard, said, "I think we've always meant it to be three seasons. I think it would be pretty cool if, in the face of how much everyone likes this show, that we stick to our guns and really just do three seasons. But even as committed to that idea as Jason may have been, none of us were prepared to the degree to which people love this show. Usually shows don't have that kind of effect if they say the word 'fuck' so many times. We're kind of in no man's land here, still being discombobulated by the response and I think that could make hard-hearted old Sudeikis soften up a little bit. I will say that, whatever he decides, I will happily abide."
One of Ted Lasso's executive producers, Bill Lawrence, added, "The initial story Jason had in his head is a three-season arc, [but] I'm hopeful there are more Ted Lasso stories to tell after three seasons."
That seemed pretty concrete... sort of. Jason Sudeikis imagined Ted Lasso as three seasons, others were up for more, but it was Sudeikis' decision. Series co-star and writer Brett Goldstein told UK's Sunday Times a year later in June 2022 about Season 3 being the last, "We are writing it like that. It was planned as three. Spoiler alert: everyone dies."
Recent Comments Suggest 'Ted Lasso's Future Is Still in Doubt
What looked like near certainty has started to waver, even for Sudeikis, as Ted Lasso reaches its end goal. Just this March, in an interview with E! News for the third season premiere, Sudeikis said, "I think we have a talented enough writing staff, an incredible cast, tremendous production and post-production crew. They have the ability and there's plenty of water left in that sponge to squeeze out. All I know is that the story we wanted to tell and the one that we're telling, that's what we're here tonight to celebrate. What happens beyond this, I won't know until this is all done."
None of Sudeikis' Ted Lasso co-stars know if this is the end or not. Hannah Waddingham told E! News, "I actually don't know. I think it might be, in terms of an end of a story. But, who knows? We'll put Jason in a darkened room with a notepad and paper and go, 'Do it!'" Nick Mohammed was just as in the dark, telling Entertainment Weekly, "I feel like the writers were really open at the start and said that in their heads they'd mapped out three-season arcs. But that doesn't mean that it definitely has to come to an end. There's no reason why it couldn't continue. So, we'll see. I hope there's more, but who knows."
There has also been talk that, if Ted Lasso does indeed come to an end, some of the characters may stay around in a spinoff. That certainly seems like a realistic possibility, with the series having so many complex characters going off in different directions. We could follow Rebecca Welton, still the owner of AFC Richmond, or perhaps she leaves the team and runs off with the guy she met on his houseboat this season. Maybe Nate becomes a coach elsewhere. Maybe Ted himself does. What do Keeley and Roy do? The options are endless. Anything can happen, but one thing that must happen is that Apple TV+ needs to let its viewers know what's up with Ted Lasso itself.
‘Ted Lasso’ Fans Deserve To Know if the Series Is Coming Back or Not
You can't blame Jason Sudeikis for wanting to get out after three seasons. No show wants to overstay its welcome, something that can happen particularly quickly with a comedy. There's the risk of repeating itself and becoming a self-parody, and after all, how much can these characters continue to grow? There should be that urge to leave the audience wanting more, and with the mixed reaction Season 3 of Ted Lasso has received, it just might convince Sudeikis to end the show, at least for a little while.
If anything is near certain, it seems that Ted Lasso is at the very least going to take a hiatus. Don't get your hopes up of seeing it come back next spring. That's fine. Maybe everyone needs to step away and recharge, and do something else for a bit. Or they can take an extra year off and return like they did between Seasons 2 and 3. Heck, Curb Your Enthusiasm would go years between seasons sometimes. Perhaps we're just destined to check in with these characters' lives here and there. There's also the real possibility that, in two weeks, we'll never see any of them again.
Letting go can be hard. Sudeikis and the cast have certainly grown close. That's difficult to say goodbye to. Sudeikis doesn't seem to know what's next for the series. Apple TV+ doesn't either, though they certainly have to be pressuring him for more. But while that's happening, fans deserve to at least hear from Apple TV+ on what the future plans are. If Ted Lasso is coming back, tell us. If it's ending, tell us. If they just don't know, tell us that too. Anything is better than nothing, and their complete silence has been very odd. To watch Ted Lasso now is to not know how to feel at times. It's difficult to stay fully in the moment if you're not sure if you're watching evolving storylines, or stories coming to an end. Are, for example, Roy and Keeley destined to be forever, or is something else going to happen to complicate their relationship?
Jason Sudeikis and Apple TV+ are in a challenging situation, with so much up in the air. Perhaps Apple TV+ doesn't want to risk embarrassment by telling its subscribers they don't have answers yet. If that's the truth, so be it, but say it anyway, even if it's uncomfortable. As coach Lasso himself once said, "Taking on a challenge is a lot like riding a horse, isn't it? If you're comfortable while you're doing it, you're probably doing it wrong."