Ted Lasso – Season 3

Rating:

WHISTLE

Main Cast: Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham

Developed by: Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt, Bill Lawrence, Joe Kelly

I didn’t want to watch it. I waited until the entirety of Ted Lasso Season 3 was out on Apple TV+ before even considering it. Then I waited another month or so. It isn’t that I didn’t want to see it; it’s that I didn’t want it to be over. This final season of the ultimate Comfort Content waited patiently for me, as I knew it would. Until I was ready. And then it gave me everything I wanted.

Ted Lasso is the story of an American football coach (Jason Sudeikis) recruited to coach soccer in London. He was brought there with the expectation that he would fail AFC Richmond. Understandably, since he knew nothing at all about the game.

But he didn’t. Not entirely. Look back at my reviews of Season 1 and Season 2 for a refresher of how it all began. In Season 3 we’re back in the Premier League and the Greyhounds are once again expected to fail spectacularly.

On its face, Ted Lasso is nothing special. Its fish-out-of-water premise and quirky characters have all been done before. But this fish, and these characters, are so incredibly well-written and acted that it feels new and fresh and absolutely charming from the first episode to the last.

As played by Sudeikis, Ted Lasso has more empathy than most of the human race combined. His patience, tolerance, humility, and willingness to look silly are unparalleled. He’s the perfect sun for the plot and all the other characters to orbit.

What the Ted Lasso writers have achieved in this final season is to bring story arcs to a close while maintaining the momentum of the show. There are a few places where it’s a touch slow, but each is far outweighed by moments of pure magic.

Since you’re here, reading about Season 3, hopefully you know the main characters (if you don’t, please start with Season 1, I beg you). Hannah, Keeley, Roy, Jamie, Higgins, Beard, and even Nathan are all back. They continue to grow and evolve throughout the season and the finale makes complete sense in the context of the three years of their lives we’ve witnessed.

A couple of characters get more time on screen this season, including Isaac (played by Kola Bokinni) as team captain, and Sam (Toheeb Jimoh) who comes to embody the frustration of being a particular type of public figure.

We’re also treated to a lot more of Trent Crimm (James Lance) who has put away his abrasive journalist persona in favor of the kind of special nerd who fits right in with the rest of the Richmond staff. Lance brings something new and welcome to a season that could have rested on its laurels and gotten stale quickly.

But Ted Lasso never gets stale. It gets a little sappy, a little corny, and a lot silly, but its golden heart shines through every single scene. These people were made for us to love and root for, and we do. There’s a fairy tale aura running through even heavier topics like mental health challenges, divorce, and class inequality that makes us feel like we, too, might eventually be okay.

I have nothing but admiration for the writers, actors, and crew who brought Ted Lasso alive and into my home. From costumes to sets to the words on the page, this series is a masterwork, highlighting humanity at its best. We don’t get much of that these days. This series is dedicated to shaking off the ugly cynicism in which we now soak and offering us an alternative.

I will miss Ted and his goofy kindness the way that I miss Mr. Rogers, who always looked for the helpers. Every character (save one) in the series is a helper to someone, in some way. The series is everyone’s helper, offering comfort and hope and laughter when we need it the most.

Farewell, Ted. I hope we see you again someday.

Are you a fellow Ted Lasso fan? Join me in the comments with your favorite moments from the series.

Sue Millinocket

Sue reads a lot, writes a lot, edits a lot, and loves a good craft. She was deemed “too picky” to proofread her children’s school papers and wears this as a badge of honor. She is also proud of her aggressively average knitting skills  She is the Editorial Director at Silver Beacon Marketing and an aspiring Crazy Cat Lady.