As audiences near the last few episodes of Ted Lasso Season 2 on Apple TV+, it looks like the third season is in full swing as of this week. As reported over at THR, pay negotiations had previously begun to take shape ahead of the hit show's Season 3, with deals closing after the Labor Day weekend that will see notable figure increases for several key cast, members of the writing staff, and showrunner Bill Lawrence. According to the report, said negotiations actually delayed the opening of the writers room by about a month, but the third season of Ted Lasso is still poised to remain on schedule for its planned release sometime in summer 2022.

THR reported that lead Jason Sudeikis, who previously earned between $250,000 and $300,000 per episode, renegotiated his contract for a pay increase up to around $1 million. Several of his fellow Ted Lasso castmates, including Hannah Waddingham and Juno Temple, as well as Brendan Hunt and Brett Goldstein (the latter two of which also serve as writers on the series), also negotiated new contract deals heading into the Apple TV+ show's third season. Other actor deals will likely begin closing over the next several weeks as Warner Bros. Television and Apple nail down separate licensing deals, with Apple responsible for additional costs associated with the series.

As for the future of the show beyond Season 3, Sudeikis previously commented that there doesn't seem to be a plan for Ted Lasso to continue past three seasons: "[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." Given that Season 2 has been compared to The Empire Strikes Back, it sounds like the third season could be shaping up to be Return of the Jedi — which would be a fitting end for Ted Lasso, all things considered.

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Image via Apple

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In addition to Sudeikis, Waddingham, Temple, Hunt, and Goldstein, Ted Lasso stars Jeremy Swift, Phil Dunster, Nick Mohammed, Sarah Niles, Toheeb Jimoh, Billy Harris, Kola Bokinni, Cristo Fernandez, David Elsendoorn, and Charlie Hiscock. The series has been nominated for 20 Emmys, and Sudeikis received the 2021 Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy.

New episodes of Ted Lasso Season 2 premiere every Friday on Apple TV+, where Season 1 is also currently available to stream in its entirety. Production on Season 3 will begin in January 2022.

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