Apple TV+ hit the gold mine with Ted Lasso and more is on the way. The highly-anticipated third season will premiere on March 15, 2023, Apple TV+ announced on February 14. But will season 3 be the show’s last? More on that later — first, let’s dissect the teaser trailer!
A 1-minute teaser was released in February and featured your favorite characters making their own “Believe” posters. When Ted and Coach Beard walk into the locker room and see the posters, Ted quips, “Well, if seeing is believing, I believe we’ve been seen.”
The popular comedy series premiered on the streaming service in August 2020 and has become one of the most popular shows on television. Ted Lasso stars Jason Sudeikis as the titular character who originated in a series of promos for NBC Sports’ coverage of the Premier League. In the show, Ted is an American college football coach who is hired to lead a British soccer team.
After the ten-episode first season, Ted Lasso was renewed for a second and third season in October 2020. Season 2 consisted of 12 episodes and premiered in July 2021. Now, fans are anxiously awaiting the highly-anticipated third season.
HollywoodLife has all the updates about the next season of Ted Lasso. Find out the release date, returning cast members, and more below.
Ted Lasso Season 3 Release Date & Schedule
Ted Lasso season 3 will premiere with its first episode on Wednesday, March 15. New episodes will be released weekly on Wednesdays. This marks the first Apple TV+ series to launch mid-week. New episodes have previously dropped on Fridays. The new season will consist of 12 episodes.
What Can Fans Expect in Ted Lasso Season 3?
In season 3, the “newly-promoted AFC Richmond faces ridicule as media predictions widely peg them as last in the Premier League and Nate, now hailed as the ‘wonder kid,’ has gone to work for Rupert at West Ham United. In the wake of Nate’s contentious departure from Richmond, Roy Kent steps up as assistant coach, alongside Beard. Meanwhile, while Ted deals with pressures at work, he continues to wrestle with his own personal issues back home, Rebecca is focused on defeating Rupert, and Keeley navigates being the boss of her own PR agency. Things seem to be falling apart both on and off the pitch, but Team Lasso is set to give it their best shot anyway.”
Some details about Ted Lasso season 3 have come from co-creator, writer, and star Brendan Hunt. Brendan, who plays Coach Beard, told TVLine that the new season may kick off following a time jump from the events of season 2. “Well, we don’t like to do the same thing twice,” he said. “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 those that forget, in the season 2 finale assistant coach Nathan Shelley (Nick Mohammed) left AFC Richmond to work with rival team West Ham, which is owned by Rebecca Welton’s (Hannah Waddingham) ex-husband, Rupert Mannion (Anthony Head). The matchup between AFC Richmond and West Ham will definitely be a big storyline in season 3. We can also expect to see more of the romance between Keely Jones (Juno Temple) and Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein). Producer Kip Kroeger told Deadline that season 3 will go “deeper into the backstories” of certain characters. “You know, we’re going to get a little more information about where they came from,” Kip teased.
Ted Lasso Season 3 Cast and Crew
Jason Sudeikis
The entire Ted Lasso gang will be back for season 3. Obviously that includes Jason Sudeikis as Ted himself. Ted will continue leading AFC Richmond in the new season.
Hannah Waddingham
Hannah Waddingham is returning as AFC Richmond owner Rebecca Walton. Rebecca will have to deal more with her ex-husband who has bought West Ham United.
Juno Temple
Juno Temple is back as Keely Jones. At the end of season 2, Keely left AFC Richmond to eagerly start her own PR firm, though that’s causing friction in her relationship with Roy.
Brett Goldstein
Brett Goldstein is returning as irritable midfielder Roy Kent. Roy’s relationship with Keely will certainly be a major plot point in the third season.
Brendan Hunt
Brendan Hunt is continuing his role as Coach Beard, who got his very own centric episode in the second season. Brendan also serves as one of the executive producers on the show with Jason and Bill Lawrence, Joe Kelly, Jeff Ingold, and Bill Wrubel.
Nick Mohammad
Season 3 will be major for Nathan Shelley, played by Nick Mohammad. The second season ended with a major betrayal from Nate, who left Richmond for the rival West Ham United.
Jeremy Swift
Jeremy Swift is returning as the lovable Director of Football Operations Leslie Higgins. Leslie will be a major figure at AFC Richmond in season 3 following Nate’s exit from the team.
Phil Dunster
Phil Dunster is back as bad-boy AFC striker Jamie Tartt. Jamie is back on Richmond and has taken a liking to Ted’s coaching methods.
Toheeb Jimoh
Toheeb Jimoh is returning as fan-favorite Sam Obisanya. Sam is a young Nigerian player who unexpectedly starts a relationship with Rebecca and then begins efforts to open a Nigerian restaurant.
Cristo Fernandez
Cristo Fernandez is back as Dani Rojas, the young forward from Mexico. He has a close bond with Sam and the rest of the team members.
Sarah Niles
Sarah Niles is returning as sports psychologist Dr. Sharon Fieldstone. She forms a close relationship with Ted after he finally opened up to her about his mental health struggles.
James Lance
James Lance is returning as sports columnist Trent Crimm. Executive producer Bill Lawrence was the one who confirmed Sarah and James’ returns to the show. “I can tell you both of them have significant roles next year,” Bill told Deadline.
Will Season 3 Be the Last?
Although Ted Lasso is massively popular, Jason revealed to Entertainment Weekly in June 2021 that he only has a three-season arc in mind for the show. “The story that I know is the one that I wanted to tell, and so that’s the one we’re telling with the help of numerous people in front of and behind the camera, so it’s by no means me typing every key stroke and saying every word. It’s nowhere near like that. But the story that’s being told – that three-season arc – is one that I see, know, and understood,” the actor explained. “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.”
Brendan chimed in during that interview to explain that Ted Lasso was “always meant it to be three seasons.” He added, “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. But even as committed to that idea as Jason may have been, none of us were prepared to the degree to which people love this show. We’re kind of in no man’s land here, still being discombobulated by the response and I think that could make hard-hearted old Sudeikis soften up a little bit. I will say that, whatever he decides, I will happily abide.”
In an interview with Sunday Times in June 2022, Brendan reiterated that Ted Lasso season 3 is being written as the end of the series. “It was planned as three,” he said, jokingly adding, “Spoiler alert — everyone dies.”
In March 2023, Jason revealed that while season 3 isn’t confirmed to be the series’ last just yet, the upcoming episodes would end the show in an amazing way. “This is the end of this story that we wanted to tell, that we were hoping to tell, that we loved to tell. 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,” Jason told Deadline.
He’s also open to the idea of potential spinoffs in the future. “Yeah, I think that we’ve set the table for all sorts of folks…to get to watch the further telling of these stories,” he 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.”
Ted Lasso’s Success
Since its premiere, Ted Lasso has received critical acclaim and become an awards show darling. Season 1 was nominated for 20 Primetime Emmy Awards, the most of any freshman comedy show in Emmys history. At the 2021 Emmy Awards, Jason won for Best Actor in a Comedy Series, Hannah won for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, and Brett won for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, while the show itself won for Outstanding Comedy Series. Season 2 is poised to win big again at the upcoming 2022 Emmy Awards. Jason has also won a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actor Guild Award for his exceptional performance as Ted. The entire Ted Lasso cast won the 2022 Screen Actor Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
Ted Lasso has been such a treat for fans. Beyond the show, there was also a four-minute animated holiday special titled The Missing Christmas Mustache that was released in December 2021. It features the cast helping Ted find his signature mustache before he FaceTimes with his son back home. No Ted Lasso spinoffs have officially been announced — yet.