Believe in believe.
Season three of Ted Lasso is the third season of the sports comedy-drama series, Ted Lasso. It is directed by MJ Delaney, Destiny Ekaragha, Matt Lipsey, Erice Dunton, and Declan Lowley, created by Jason Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence, and Brendan Hunt, produced by Ruby's Tuna Inc., Doozer, Universal Television, and Warner Bros. Television Studios, and distributed by Apple TV+. The series stars Jason Sudeikis and Hannah Waddingham. This is the third and final season of Ted Lasso. It was preceded by Ted Lasso season two.
"Be a goldfish." - Ted Lasso
Plot
With Nate Shelley leaving AFC Richmond to go coach for West Ham United, new tensions and stakes are introduced in the upcoming football season. Meanwhile, Ted Lasso is having doubts of his own as to what he wants his future to be.
The Sweet
The third season of Ted Lasso undoubtedly still has its moments.
And I think that's the key thing here. Not to spoil my review, but I thought this was the weakest season of the show, but it still managed to have those moments that only Ted Lasso can have. A problem or dilemma is introduced and solved in this heartfelt, poignant way. Hints of the magic still appear from time to time to remind you that this is a special show.
I also think that Roy Kent and Jamie Tartt are the best part of this season. Season one and, to an extent, season two, showed Roy and Jamie as rivals. They hated each other. But Jamie and Roy have both changed since those earlier seasons, so we see a new character dynamic between the two of them as they begin to become friends. It's a fun relationship that feels like the natural progression of their characters. I really enjoyed them.
I also liked the addition of Colin's fully fleshed out character in this season. They do something with him that feels like it shows how the team can bond when one of their players is struggling. There's a part of it that I don't like that I'll get into later, but I think that they do a great job of fleshing him out and making another good addition to this show.
I also want to re-iterate that this season, while problematic, is still entertaining. No matter how frustrated I get with it or how dumb it gets, it is still fun. There are still moments that will make you laugh out loud. There are still plenty of moments that will warm your heart. At it's worst, this show is watchable.
And I say that now because I am not very positive on this season.
The Sour
There are a few major problems with this season. The overarching issue is that the characters are all split up. Nate went to West Ham. Keeley is doing her own thing. Even though the team is often times together, they are also still all over the place. This eliminates what made the show so good in the first two seasons: the character interactions. The reason that Roy and Jamie are the best part of the season is because it's a developing relationship. Ted and Keeley barely have any screentime together this season. Ted and Rebecca barely have any screentime together this season. Even Roy and Keeley don't have as much time together. All of these characters are off on their own, which just splits up the dynamic and makes the show feel more uneven.
Because the characters are all split up, they all need to have their own storylines. If you compare the episode runtime of this season to the previous ones, this season is significantly longer, and that's because they are trying to tackle so many storylines. None of them get the proper development that they should. Keeley starts dating her boss. That goes nowhere. Sam opens up a restaurant and is faced with all sorts of challenges because of the British prime minister. That goes nowhere. Even Nate's redemptive arc feels underdeveloped. There isn't a proper payoff. At the beginning of the season, they introduce a superstar player named Zava. He goes nowhere. It just makes the season feel like this up and down roller coaster that was extremely disappointing.
And this all ties together to create the principle problem of the season: Ted Lasso is sidelined. The heart and soul of the show feels like a side character. There are entire episodes where Ted is barely in it. The season feels scattered already, and when you nerf Ted's role in this season, it just sucks even more of the charm of the show out of this season.
This season also feels especially goofy. Of course, Ted Lasso is a comedy and has always had goofy moments, but there was a weight that came along with it. There was a sense of drama beyond the comedic moments, and that drama feels entirely absent throughout this season. Part of that may be due to some criticism of last season, which people felt was too dark or dramatic, but this is the polar opposite. It makes the show feel like a simplified, less compelling version of what it used to be. And the overly goofy comedy is often not that funny.
I also found this season to be endlessly predictable. From the first few episodes, you can get a pretty good idea of where this season is going, especially in terms of what Ted's arc is. But beyond Ted, even, Rebecca and Nate have really predictable arcs. You can tell what is going to happen with the love triangle of Jamie, Roy, and Keeley. It just makes this season feel inferior to the rest of the show. And that's a little sad.
Final Thoughts and Score
If this is the last time we see everyone's favorite mustached soccer coach, it's a bit disappointing. I wish I was more positive because I do love this show, but I can't say I liked this season.
I'm going Sour here. Age range is 10+.
SWEET N' SOUR SCALE
Sweet (Great) Savory (Good) Sour (Bad) Moldy (Terrible)
"Ted Lasso"
Fun Factor: 7/10
Acting: 8/10
Story: 4.5/10
Characters: 5/10
Quality: 4.5/10
Created by Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt, Bill Lawrence, and Joe Kelly
Rated TV-MA for sexual content, language, thematic elements
Premiered on March 15, 2023
Episode runtime: 50 minutes
Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso
Hannah Waddingham as Rebecca Welton
Brett Goldstein as Roy Kent
Juno Temple as Keeley Jones
Nick Mohammed as Nathan Shelley
Phil Dunster as Jamie Tartt
Jeremy Swift as Leslie Higgins
Toheeb Jimoh as Sam Obisanya
Anthony Head as Rupert Mannion
James Lance as Trent Crimm
Kola Bokinni as Isaac McAdoo
Billy Harris as Colin Hughes
Cristo Fernández as Dani Rojas
Maximillian Osinski as Zava
Charlie Hiscock as Will Kitman
Moe Jeudy-Lamour as Thierry Zoreaux / Van Damme
David Elsendoorn as Jan Maas
Stephen Manas as Richard Montlaur
Mohammed Hashim as Moe Bumbercatch
Annette Badland as Mae Green
Keeley Hazell as Bex
Ellie Taylor as Flo "Sassy" Collins
Phoebe Walsh as Jane Payne
Andrea Anders as Michelle Lasso
Edyta Budnik as Jade
Katy Wix as Barbara
Jodi Balfour as Jack Danvers