Is This Week’s Episode of ‘Ted Lasso’ the Series Finale? Breaking Down What We Know and What Could Be Next
While “Ted Lasso” wasn’t the first series that Apple TV+ ever premiered, it was certainly the streamer’s first breakthrough hit, earning eight Emmy Awards in its first two seasons, including a pair of Outstanding Comedy Series victories. So, it is a bit of a surprise that there have been essentially omnipresent rumors that the third season — which wraps up this week — will be the show’s last, despite the fact that the streaming service has done nothing to provide clarity on the status of the series moving forward.
The show’s creators, Bill Lawrence and Jason Sudeikis (who also stars as the titular coach), have always maintained that the story of Ted Lasso — both the character and the show — was one that they intended to tell over three seasons; so, if they stick to that plan, this week’s season finale will also be the series finale, right? Well, maybe, maybe not.
Despite the fact that the season finale definitely will air on Wednesday, May 31 (technically at 9 p.m. ET on Tuesday, May 30) there has been no confirmation whether the 12th episode of Season 3 will be the series’ swansong or not. However, every clue from the show’s creators appears to indicate that it will be, and the trajectory of the season’s storylines seems to be heading that way as well.
Why Do People Think ‘Ted Lasso’ Is Ending with Season 3?
The presumption that the third season of “Ted Lasso” would be the final one has been around nearly as long as the series itself, but those rumors ramped up ahead of the latest season premiere when Sudekis, Lawrence, and series co-star and writer Brett Goldstein all began doing interviews to promote the upcoming episodes.
“This is the end of this story that we wanted to tell, that we were hoping to tell, that we loved to tell,” Sudeikis told Deadline in March ahead of the season premiere. “The fact that folks will want more and are curious beyond more than what they don’t even know yet—that being Season 3—it’s flattering. Maybe by May 31, once all 12 episodes of the season [have been released], they’re like, ‘Man, you know what, we get it, we’re fine. We don’t need anymore, we got it.’ But until that time comes, I will appreciate the curiosity beyond what we’ve come up with so far.”
That sure seems like the plan — as far as the star and co-creator is concerned — is to wrap things up after this week’s episode. However, it might not be that simple.
“This story is going to be over,” Lawrence has said, “even if the show finds another story to tell and goes on.”
Does that mean that the series could continue even after the initial story has ended? It sounds like that is at least a possibility. Of course, there is another way that the crew could continue telling stories even if “Ted Lasso” ends.
Ted Lasso
Ted Lasso, an American football coach, moves to England when he’s hired to manage a soccer team—despite having no experience. With cynical players and a doubtful town, will he get them to see the Ted Lasso Way?
Are There Going to Be Spinoffs of ‘Ted Lasso’ on Apple TV+?
One of the reasons that so many people are concerned about the beloved comedy potentially ending this week is that they have grown so attached to its now-iconic characters and want to continue watching them grow. Both Lawrence and Suekis have talked openly about the potential to keep telling stories about Roy, Rebecca, Keeley, Jamie, Nate, Coach Beard, and the rest of the AFC Richmond crew, and the way that Season 3 has unfolded, there appear to be a lot of directions that those stories could go.
“I think that we’ve set the table for all sorts of folks … to get to watch the further telling of these stories,” Sudeikis said. “Again, I can’t help but take the question as flattery for what all of us that were working on the show has tried to do. It’s really kind of folks to even consider that because you never know what’s gonna happen when you make things. The fact that people want more, even if it’s a different avenue is lovely.”
Sudeikis’ “different avenue” quote jumped out to me when he initially said it because it opens the door to other ways that we could get our fill of these characters beyond a Season 4 of “Ted Lasso” proper. What if instead of continuing the original series, Apple TV+ rolled out multiple series focusing on individual characters?
We could get a series or made-for-AppleTV movie called “Keeley Jones PR” or “The World According to Beard” or “The Wonder Kid” or even “Roy F’ing Kent.”
Perhaps, we get a semi-anthology series called “AFC Richmond” that takes a small number of episodes to focus on individual players; we could get two episodes specifically about Bumbercatch then six about Sam Obisanya, and so on. Maybe they could throw in an episode about Mae and the three superfans at her pub.
These options would allow fans to keep connected to the major characters that they’ve grown to love and to get to know others on a deeper level.
Is ‘Ted Lasso’ Wrapping Up Its Storylines for a Series Finale?
While whether or not the series ends after tonight’s episode is still apparently up in the air, there can be no doubt that the three-season story arcs of all of the major characters appear to heading toward satisfying conclusions in the finale.
Spoiler Alert: Do Not Read Further if You Have Not Caught Up.
Ted Lasso: At the end of Season 3, episode 11, Ted tells Rebecca that it is time for him to drop a “truth bomb” on her. Following his mother’s visit and their discussion about his son Henry missing him, it seems pretty obvious that the coach will be heading back to Kansas following the Premier League season. Ted left the United States to give his now ex-wife space, but now that he has done the work to understand his own relationship limitations, it is time that he heads back home. Maybe he will become the new coach of the MLS’s Sporting Kansas City.
Rebecca: AFC Richmond’s owner told her coach that she no longer wanted her team to succeed simply to stick it to her ex-husband, but rather because she fully wants to see the team and people involved succeed, coming a long way from hiring a goofy American football coach to sabotage the team in Season 1. Also, since she had no secret to serve as a third truth bomb for Ted, she has finally accepted who she is as a leader and is moving forward from a place of honesty and confidence. The only thing left up in the air is to bring the psychic prediction full circle. There have been a number of green matchbook revelations this season, so be on the lookout for that resolution tonight.
Nate: While I personally have been disappointed by the redemption arc for Nate this season, the show clearly thinks that he has learned his lesson (even if they never really properly showed it) by bringing him back to the Greyhounds. It feels like they are setting him up to be the club’s next head coach, even if I would prefer if that honor went to Roy (who has shown he can handle the media responsibilities of the job) with Beard and Nate as his assistants. Nonetheless, the heel-turn for the former kit man seems to be over as he has re-embraced the sweetness that first made him a fan-favorite in Season 1.
Roy and Keeley: I think most viewers would agree that Roy and Keeley have always been endgame and now that Roy has realized that his teacher-induced fear sabotaged their relationship, the two appear to be back where they belong on the path toward foul-mouthed, odd-couple happiness.
AFC Richmond: While “Ted Lasso” has almost always zigged when fans have expected a zag when it comes to on-field results, it seems fairly likely that the Greyhounds will shockingly take home the EPL title with a win in the season finale. But even if they don’t, the final result is not really the point. After being relegated in Season 1 and fighting back to the Premier League in Season 2, this potentially final season was about the culmination of the unorthodox coach’s vision.
Ted’s philosophy of caring about the player before worrying about wins has clearly created a nurturing and supportive environment that has led to his team having an opportunity to complete a historic worst-to-first turnaround. So, even if Richmond doesn’t secure its first Premier League Championship in the Season 3 finale, we have already seen them accomplish an achievement that is worthy of celebrating.
If Season 3 is the final installment of “Ted Lasso” — or at least of “Ted Lasso” as we know it — there will be some bittersweet feelings about it. These final 12 episodes never reached the feel-good, serotonin-inducing highs of Season 1, nor the insightful, tear-jerking moments of self-discovery we witnessed in Season 2. Instead, they were a bit more clunky and unfocused with the characters that we have grown to love as a cohesive unit scattered to the winds with only moderately interesting storylines to keep them occupied.
We have spent a considerable amount of time with Nate, the villain coming out of Season 2, and while we have seen him struggle under the dictatorial control of Rupert, fall in love and develop a seemingly healthy relationship with Jade, and have something akin to a breakthrough with his father, we never actually saw him wrestle with or atone for his horrific actions that led to his leaving Richmond in the first place, and apparently, only Coach Beard remembers how truly nasty Nate was in Season 2.
While Nick Mohammed has done fine work with everything that he’s been given, this character arc has been nearly wholly unsatisfying because it never achieved (or even attempted) the honesty or nuance that we have grown to expect from “Ted Lasso.” For a show that spent its entire second season championing the importance of therapy and men’s mental health, it abandoned nearly all attempts to analyze or provide insight into why Nate’s personal demons led him to do the vile things that he did last season.
That has certainly put a damper on what should have been a feel-good reunion in the season finale, but nonetheless, knowing the track record of the “Ted Lasso” team, this week’s episode should provide some satisfying conclusions, and — if the creators so choose — the possibility for more stories to tell in some form or another moving forward.
Apple TV+
Apple TV+ is a subscription video streaming service for $9.99 a month that includes high-quality original shows and movies including Best Picture winner “CODA,” popular sitcom “Ted Lasso,” and dramas like “The Morning Show” and “Severance.” Apple TV+ is also home to MLB baseball games on Friday nights and MLS Season Pass.