Ted Lasso is still be in the middle of filming for what may or may not be the last time, but fans are still full of love for the award-winning series in its off season. The heartwarming comedy has managed to strike the perfect balance between feel-good, triumphant sports stories and more difficult topics that touch on personal difficulties. One of the biggest stories in season 2 was kit-man-turned-assistant-coach Nate Shelley (played by Nick Mohammed), who went from everyone's favorite underdog to everyone's biggest disappointment.
In fact, one of the biggest cliffhangers in Ted Lasso revolved around Nate and his betrayal of beloved Coach Lasso (Jason Sudeikis), exploiting his panic attacks for public gain before leaving AFC Richmond for their opponents West Ham. Clearly the playing field will look very different come season 3, not only for Nate and Ted, but also for their respective bosses Rupert (Anthony Head) and Rebecca (Hannah Waddington). While awaiting the next season of Ted Lasso, fans can also enjoy Mohammed's work in his Sky One series Intelligence as well as the upcoming films Maggie Moore(s) and Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget.
Screen Rant spoke to Mohammed about what the writers and producers of Ted Lasso have taught him in his own journey as a comedian and writer, what fans can expect from Nate's story in season 3, and where else we can watch his work in the next year.
Screen Rant: Hearing that season 3 was the end of Ted Lasso shocked us plebians, but I imagine it wasn't as much of a surprise to you. How early on did you know the series had an end date, and how did inform your preparation for Nate's trajectory?
Nick Mohammed: I've known about Nate's three-season arc for a good while. It was before seasons 2 and 3 were commissioned, actually. I remember quite distinctly that I sat with Jason during the filming of [episode 4,] the gala episode of season 1. I can remember him outlining, broadly speaking, the three-season season arc - and particularly season w being the kind of Empire Strikes Back sort of feel to it.
Yeah, I've known that a while. Whether the show itself is three seasons, I think that is still yet to be decided. I actually am not privy to that information.
I'm fascinated by how many actors on this show are also writers and producers on it. How does that affect the atmosphere on set? And while you may not write for Ted Lasso, but you are a writer as well. Has your work here informed how you approach writing at all?
Nick Mohammed: First of all, it's an absolute gift that they're so present as writers, creators, and directors. Every single scene, there is support there. There's at least one or two of the creators; always Jason and the director and one of the execs.
Partly because it's so precious to them and it's their baby - so tonally, it's perfect. What they've created is absolutely wonderful and original and really refreshing. They're absolutely all over every single word of every single scene, and it's been so useful as an actor to have those creators and writers on set. You can ask questions - particularly because I'm not really a football or sports fan, so some of the stuff that Nate says or does, you know, I have to double check specifically what that means if it's to do strategy or something like that.
In terms of what I've taken away from that, as a writer, it's just their amazing ability to serve so many characters so well. Often with British sitcoms - plenty of sitcoms, actually, not just British ones - there isn't always the room to give the ensemble supporting characters character development and season arcs. But they absolutely managed to deliver on with many people, and they also managed to walk this tightrope of delivering on comedy, drama and emotion. It's a proper comedy drama. When I write, I write jokes and gags, but it's all quite silly and superficial. They managed to weave so much depth and so many layers into it, and it's just wonderful.
Nate has one of the most fully fleshed out stories, which social media has had very strong reactions to. In season 1, everyone was rooting for the underdog and in season 2 everyone was groaning at his terrible choices. Being in the midst of filming season 3, how do you think viewers will react to Nate now?
Nick Mohammed: I can't say too much, because that will give certain things away. But, listen, it was clear with the way season 2 ended that we're very much in the middle of Nate's story. I think a lot of people would like to see him redeemed because that feels like the nature of the show. But equally, there are of people who think that - and possibly rightly so - he's overstepped the mark. His behavior with Keeley, his betrayal of Ted, and his leaving Richmond is just generally one thing too many.
Maybe he's a character who won't get that redemption arc. I won't give anything away, but all I'll say is it's another absolute roller coaster. And honestly, we're just midway through filming. As much as I know where we're heading, I haven't seen some of the details of the latter scripts yet, so I can't fully comment on it. But it's very exciting.
Nate's at West Ham now. Can you talk about what we can expect from this new team? How much time do you spend with Rupert and that crew, versus with the gang at AFC Richmond?
Nick Mohammed: I'm so sorry, I'm not being coy. I can't really comment too much on it, but yes, he's at West Ham. What has been great is that I've been able to have some scenes with Anthony, who plays Rupert. He's just a wonderful man, and possibly the one who is least like their character. He is such a sweetheart, compared to Rupert, who is so toxic. That has been joyful.
That's been the biggest take home from the early stuff that we've been shooting. We're midway through, and naturally I've not been in the Richmond locker room. It feels strange, because all those guys and gals are my friends. We're not always filming together, and that's a shame. I've been trying to channel some of that loneliness a little bit into Nate, because I think he does feel a bit bereft. But I will stop speaking, because I will give too much away.
Looking back on the first two seasons, which dynamics do you think have most shaped Nate's arc?
Nick Mohammed: In season 1, Nate was a fan favorite - which sounds sort of self-aggrandizing. But what I mean is that I think people could associate with the underdog does good trajectory. It's quite a linear storyline in some respects, but it's really rewarding. It really embodies the show as well: here's a guy who doesn't think much of himself, Ted comes along, empowers him, and it works out for the best, Nate is promoted, and he's the happiest person in the world. And everyone has a newfound respect for him. And that is a wonderful story.
But it just means then that the fall from grace is a bigger one, because I think that the audience felt that they invested in him and were really rooting for him. They feel that betrayal. There was certainly less room for jokes, and the latter episodes of season 2 became a lot more about selling the heel turn; the drama and emotion of where he'd got to, which wasn't a very nice place.
We were doing it bit by bit, so the ideal was that people would try and cling onto some kind of hope that he won't fully turn. But actually, every single decision he makes from episode 7 onwards is the wrong one. And the final scene at the end of the season is when it all comes to a head.
You've also got Intelligence. Is season 3 forthcoming?
Nick Mohammed: Sort of. We can't speak about it too much - I'm so sorry. But there is hopefully going to be more stuff.
You have other things coming down the pipeline as well, such as Maggie Moore(s) and Chicken Run. What can you say about working with Jon Hamm in Maggie Moore(s)? How much fun is that?
Nick Mohammed: Goodness me, it was so much fun. We filmed it back in October or November of last year, and it was the first time I'd been away for a really long period of time. That in itself was tricky, and I really missed my family. I've got young kids, and it was the first time I've experienced that.
But the actual work was really fun. Jon Hamm is just a pro, but what an absolute gentleman. Pretty much all my scenes were with Jon, so it was just a joy. And John Slattery was directing it. I'm a huge Mad Men fan, so I was trying to not be too much of a fanboy, really, and concentrate on getting my lines right.
I did some ADR on it a few days ago, so I've seen tiny little snippets, but I've actually not seen the full film. They're just finishing it off, but I'm really looking forward to it. They seem pleased with it, so I'm looking forward to seeing it.
With Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, what has been your favorite aspect of voice acting?
Nick Mohammed: Particularly with Chicken Run, I think I've been doing it for a year - and it's not out until next year. It just takes ages, because it's stop motion animation. What's quite fun is that there's a script, and then we'll play with the script and maybe do a bit of improv. Then they might animate some of that, and we'll go back and refine certain lines. Maybe there's a bit of improv that they liked, so we'll redo that. It feels very collaborative and is just an absolute joy.
I love Chicken Run as a film. I remember watching it as a student, and my kids have seen it as well. So, to get to be in Chicken Run 2 is kind of a dream, really. But it's such a long process; it takes forever. When I did Christopher Robin and played Piglet, it was same thing. You do a pass on the script, then you're away for a month, and then you go back in and do it again. You wait a few more months, then you go back in, so you're seeing them get closer and closer to the finish line. But it's absolutely a marathon, not a sprint.
You do all kinds of comedy, but live shows are coming back now too. Are you doing Edinburgh Festival Fringe this year?
Nick Mohammed: Sadly, I was going to be doing the Edinburgh Fringe, but I'm not now because of ongoing Ted Lasso filming. I think we thought it might be done by then, but it's just going to be too close to the bone.
But I've got a lot of other live stuff planned for later in the year, which we'll be announcing soon. And I've started gigging again; doing some gigs in London, which has been really fun. Brett does stand up as well, and he has been doing increasingly more live stuff. I think that since the pandemic and lockdown, we've really been craving the live experience. And as an audience member as well, I've been seeing different bits and pieces. I'm looking forward to all that.
How different does it feel to return to the live comedy scene after not doing it for so long?
Nick Mohammed: All I know is I'm hungry for more. Because with live, it's so immediate; you make a mistake and immediately get the flack for that mistake. But if you hit a joke well, then you'll get that immediate response. It's just nice. You don't have to wait for everything else to be filmed, or for an edit or a press release.
I think that's what I crave, having done quite a lot of TV recently. I really love it.
Ted Lasso Synopsis
An American football coach is hired to manage a British soccer team; what he lacks in knowledge, he makes up for in optimism, determination and biscuits.
Check out our interview with Ted Lasso's sound team as well.
The first two seasons of Ted Lasso are currently available to stream on Apple TV+.