Back to the field! Following Ted Lasso‘s immediate success on Apple TV+, the anticipation for season 3 was quite strong as the previous season wrapped in October 2021.
Ahead of the show winning four awards at the 2021 Emmys, producer and star Jason Sudeikis revealed what an honor it was to receive so much love in response to their hard work.
“Flattered. We can’t believe it. I mean, we’re trying to make people laugh and have a good time and do it in a specific way,” he told E! News on the red carpet in September 2021. “We had no idea folks would pick up what we were putting down and this is just icing on the cake. I mean, between, you know, the critics digging it and the academy, you know, it’s just been fantastic.”
After winning for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, the Saturday Night Live alum gushed about how special the series was during his acceptance speech.
“Thank you very much. So yeah, heck of a year,” he said. “I would say that this show is about family. This show is about mentors and teachers. This show is about teammates. And I wouldn’t be here without those three things in my life.”
Although viewers only wanted more Ted Lasso after season 2, creators Bill Lawrence, Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt previously discussed their plans to finish the story after season 3.
“The story that’s being told, that three-season arc is one that I see, know, and understood,” the Portlandia alum explained to Entertainment Weekly in June 2021. “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.”
Hunt, who also portrays Coach Beard on the show, added: “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.”
As Ted Lasso continued to inspire plenty of excitement online, Lawrence teased that their original plan may not be the final decision going forward.
“What’s tough to process for me as a writer who is used to writing network comedy, is, this was the end of the season, but the midway point of the show,” the Cougar Town creator told Deadline after the season 2 finale aired in October 2021.
Scroll down for everything we know about season 3 of Ted Lasso:
The series should be returning to Apple TV+ in the summer of 2022. The writer's room started working on the season in September, with production set to begin in January 2022. Following his win at the 2021 Emmys, Sudeikis confirmed backstage that there will be 12 episodes. “They, being Apple, asked for 12 episodes and this time, ahead of time,” the comedian said at the time, according to Deadline. “So, we’ll be doing 12 episodes as of now.” Apple TV+
The Hollywood Reporter previously reported that Sudeikis "has already closed a deal for season three that will pay him in the vicinity of $1 million an episode." The outlet also noted that Hannah Waddingham (Rebecca Welton), Goldstein (Roy Kent), Juno Temple (Keeley Jones) and Hunt were in negotiations for salary raises ahead of season 3. While speaking to Deadline, Lawrence revealed that fan-favorite characters Sharon (Sarah Niles) and Trent (James Lance) will "have significant roles next year.” Apple TV+
Some possible story lines that could be explored in season 3 include Ted dealing with the aftermath of getting betrayed by assistant coach Nate Shelley (Nick Mohammed). After leaking details of Ted's panic attack to Trent, Nate and Ted have a pivotal exchange. The episode then ends with Nate being offered the head coach position for the West Ham United team by Rebecca's ex Rupert Mannion (Anthony Head). Roy and Keeley's relationship saw its ups and downs throughout season 2, which opens up the door for more tension in season 3. Fans were also curious whether they were really seeing potential sparks between Ted and Rebecca. Apple TV+
Hunt shared a snap of him and Sudeikis boarding a plane in early January 2022. While he kept his caption straightforward — “Here we go” — fans believe they were headed to England to start shooting season 3. Courtesy of Brendan Hunt/Instagram
Toheeb Jimoh loves the Sam and Rebecca romance just as much as the fans, and he's pulling for them to stay together in season 3. "I will fight for it, 100 percent," Jimoh told Entertainment Tonight in January 2022 of Sam and Rebecca's potential future. "But listen, wherever the story goes, it goes... [Sam and Rebecca] are so close, they have an insane chemistry, but I'm also like, if that's a friendship then, and it's platonic as well, then that's also really [great]. I think whatever's best for them, whatever makes them happy in the end, like, I'm rooting for them." Anthony Harvey/Shutterstock
“I would probably stay clean and say that even if Ted Lasso goes on, the story the writing staff has been telling had a beginning, middle and end for the first three seasons,” Lawrence told Deadline in October 2021. “And then it might veer off from that.” Apple TV+
Fans may have to wait a bit longer to catch up with Richmond FC. "We’re in pre-production and scripts are written," creator Brendan Hunt told TVLine in February 2022. However, the writer — who also plays Coach Beard — revealed that there was a "football wrinkle" that was delaying production on the show's on-pitch scenes. "We are definitely starting later this year than in Season 2, that’s for sure," Hunt said, before noting that the series will probably return after the summer of 2022. “So I would be surprised if our delivery dates were the same. ... I do have a vague understanding of the limits of this dimension we call time, and I would say it seems pretty unlikely that we would [premiere] as early this year." However, he assured fans that cameras will start rolling as soon as possible: "It’ll happen, and it’ll take longer than people want it to, [but] we’re just going to try and get it right." Apple TV+
After Temple celebrated the cast's SAG Award win at the February 2022 ceremony solo while her costars were across the pond, some fans wondered whether she wasn't part of the new episodes. However, the actress swiftly put an end to the rumors. "Don't worry my loves, Keeley will be on screen power walking her way through season 3 x #TedLasso," she tweeted in March 2022. Apple TV+
Apple TV+ announced in April 2022 that For All Mankind actress Jodi Balfour will be joining the cast this season. Balfour will portray a character named Jack, who is described as a “charming venture capitalist.” John Salangsang/Shutterstock
The show's creators originally planned out a three-season arc for Ted Lasso, but fans held onto the hope that they would be willing to continue on after season 3. However, Goldstein (who is a writer on the show in addition to playing Roy Kent) teased that the upcoming season will be the last in a June 2022 interview with the UK’s Sunday Times. "We are writing it [as an ending to the show]," he told the outlet. “It was planned as three. Spoiler alert: everyone dies." Apple TV+
"I genuinely don’t know. And I'm not being coy," Nick Mohammed, who stars as Nathan Shelley, exclusively told Us in July about the future of the series. "They've been very open about saying when they created the show, they had mapped out three-season arcs for the chief players, but that's quite common I think for a show to have longevity and so on when you’re pitching a show. Genuinely, who knows? It might just have a break and then come back or it might be the end, but I don't know." That same month, Waddingham told E! News that she'd spoken with Sudeikis about what's next. "I asked him recently [if this was the end]," she said. "And he went, 'Yeah, I think so, for now.' And I was like, 'OK.' ... I don't want to hang up those boots. I love [Rebecca]. She's my companion. She's my friend. And I love every inch of who he has created for me to play. And I will miss her like a friend." Apple TV+
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly in August 2022, Goldstein joked about potentially killing off one of the show’s most beloved characters. "I told Toheeb [Jimoh] a long time ago how his character [Sam] dies," the Emmy winner quipped. "Basically I was like, 'You die by a helicopter.' He was like, 'Oh, I'm in a helicopter crash?' And I said, 'No, you run into a still helicopter. It's not even on, you just run into it. And that's how you die.' No spoilers, but that's his ending." Ash Knotek/Shutterstock
0 Comments