Audiences may have to wait a little longer for Ted Lasso season 3 as it is expected to suffer from a delay. Based on a character that Jason Sedukis created for NBC Sports Coverage, Ted Lasso follows the adventures of the titular character, who is an American college football coach recruited to coach soccer despite having no experience. Lasso's optimism and positivity wins over even his biggest skeptics. The series has been a big hit for Apple TV+ and has won multiple awards in its first season, including Outstanding Comedy Series at the 2021 Prime Time Emmys.
Ted Lasso season 2 premiered in summer 2021, and while the season didn't receive the same positive reaction as its predecessor, it was still a big hit among critics and audiences. The second season ended on a major cliffhanger with the fate of many characters up in the air. It was already confirmed by Ted Lasso creators that the series had a three-season end game plan with the third season believed to be the last, further supported by comments that the show's popularity did not change the plans for Ted Lasso season 2.
It appears the wait might be even longer, according to TV Line. Ted Lasso co-creator Brendan Hunt, who also plays Coach Beard on the series, stated the scripts are written for the series, but there is a slight delay in filming due to what he refers to as a "football wrinkle." Nothing further was elaborated on that statement other than they were unsure when they would be able to start filming the football scenes. Hunt did say with them starting later than they did on season 2, it is unlikely it will premiere at the same time, but he added that cameras will likely start rolling soon. Hunt said:
"We’re in pre-production and scripts are written. So I would be surprised if our delivery dates were the same. That’s above my pay grade, I don’t know for sure, but 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..It’ll happen, and it’ll take longer than people want it to, [but] we’re just going to try and get it right.”
While it was originally believed Ted Lasso season 3 would begin filming in January, it was later reported it would begin on Valentine's Day 2022. Ted Lasso season 1 premiered on August 14, 2020, where it dropped the first three episodes, while season 2 adopted a weekly release pattern and bumped up the episode order to 12 as opposed to season 1's ten episodes. Both seasons wrapped up in early October. Ted Lasso season 3 is already confirmed for 12 episodes, so the delay might mean Ted Lasso season 3 could premiere in the early October slot, and the season, as well as the series, could end around the December holidays. It is also possible the series' premiere date could be bumped back to 2023, making the wait for the series a whole year.
While season 3 is believed to be the last, the cast all signed new deals for pay increases in season 3, and part of the option includes deals for subsequent seasons of Ted Lasso. These plans could include additional seasons of Ted Lasso with an entirely new story or possible spin-off series around the various characters of the series. While on paper, the premise is rather small scale compared to some other major television series, Ted Lasso has found a passionate audience eagerly awaiting season 3, even if that means the wait is little longer.
Source: TV Line