Ted Lasso co-creator, Brendan Hunt, teases the series’ time jump in season 3. Based on the character Jason Sudeikis ironically created for NBC Sports Coverage, Ted Lasso follows its eponymous small-time football coach who is hired to lead the UK premier soccer team, AFC Richmond, despite having no experience or knowledge of the sport. Thanks to its masterful balance of comedy/drama, and huge heart, the series has been a big hit for Apple TV+. In addition to Sudeikis, the series stars Hannah Waddingham, Jeremy Swift, Phil Dunster, Brendan Hunt, Brett Goldstein, Juno Temple, Nick Mohammed, and Sarah Niles.
Ted Lasso season 2 premiered last summer and, while it didn’t replicate the cultural impact of its first season, it acted as the Empire Strikes Back to season 1’s A New Hope. Season 2's finale ends with a major cliffhanger, seeing Mohammed’s Nate embrace the dark side, resign AFC Richmond, and become the head coach of Rupert’s West Ham United, setting up a rivalry between the two clubs in season 3. Ted Lasso’s creators have already confirmed that the series is following a three-season plan, and season 3 is still expected to be the last.
In a recent interview with TV Line, Ted Lasso co-creator Brendan Hunt, who also plays Coach Beard on the series, was asked about when season 3 will pick up. While referencing how season 2 joined the football season in late September, Hunt teased season 3’s time jump. Read the full quote below:
“Well, we don’t like to do the same thing twice,” said Hunt. “In Season 1, we joined the [Premier League] season in January. In Season 2, we joined the season in late September. We’ve never gone from the start of a season, so perhaps that’s something we want to get to. And just by dint of how the schedule works in the English Premier League, we will play West Ham twice — home and away, because that’s how it goes.”
For the uninitiated: a season in the English Premier League usually begins in August and ends in May. Ted Lasso’s season 2 finale took place at the end of the season. Therefore, season 3 will most likely pick up two months after the season 2 finale with the first match of the year. Hunt went on to confirm Ted and Richmond will face Ned and West Ham twice over the course of 12 episodes. All of the scripts are written, but there was a slight delay in filming. Instead of beginning in January, it was later reported filming for Ted Lasso season 3 would begin on Valentine's Day 2022.
At this rate, Ted Lasso season 3 could premiere in late 2022 or get bumped and premiere in 2023. Although season 3 is said to be the last season, the entire cast signed new deals that include an option for subsequent seasons. Whether this is in place to facilitate a new story or spin-offs remains to be seen. Nevertheless, season 3 should serve as the series’ Return of the Jedi, comically and emotionally wrapping up a story that began in 2020.
Source: TV Line