Shoutout To Ted Lasso’s Elaborate Text History In Season 3, Episode 4

Television shows go to great lengths to achieve accuracy on screen, but even the most meticulously crafted series tend to fall short when characters start texting.

In addition to fumbling the visual depiction of the digital back and forth, series are often criticized for not giving characters any text history with their contacts. Though a clean iMessage canvas is likely easier for the team and meant to eliminate distractions for viewers, acting as if loved ones don’t save texts to each other is both unrelatable and unrealistic.

Even the great Ted Lasso was called out for “failing the text history test” after viewers got a glimpse of a fresh iMessage exchange between Ted and his ex Michelle during the Season 2 finale. (Though in Ted’s defense, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to want to wipe text history with your ex mid-divorce!) But in Season 3, Episode 4, “Big Week,” the Ted Lasso team more than made up for the frustration caused. Not only did Ted and Michelle get some history, but Ted scrolled through an elaborate string of saved text convos dating all the way back to 2019.

During the Season 3 episode, written by Brett Goldstein, we witness Ted having a quiet moment of contemplation in his office. After reading an article Michelle sent him, titled “LASSO VS. THE WONDER KID,” he responds to her text and we finally see an old message from her above the new conversation. PHEW! But the show doesn’t stop there.

Now that Ted’s thinking about his ex-wife, his mind drifts to her new man, Dr. Jacob Bryanson, the therapist he and Michelle used to see for marriage counseling. After exiting his text with Michelle, Ted scrolls down in his iMessage history to locate his old texts to Jacob. The journey only lasts a few seconds, but it takes viewers on a wild ride.

We see dozens of iMessage convos saved in Ted’s phone, complete with contact names, photos, group chats, tapbacks, and dates. The messages — which span from 2022 to 2019 — give us insight into Ted’s texting etiquette as well as the timing of the show, but they also speak volumes to his character, as it takes a certain type of human to save reminders about doctor appointments, rideshare alerts, and verification code texts for four years. I know, because my phone looks exactly like this. Ted and I would pay for more iCloud storage before we dared delete text messages.

Ted’s text history shows he’s recently chatted with Beard, the Greyhounds (who he calls “goldfish”), his son Henry, Rebecca, and Roy. He’s also in COACHES and Diamond Dogs group chats. He trades messages with Keeley, Dani, Higgins, Trent Crimm (Independent), Sam, Isaac, Jamie, Zoreaux, and Will Kitman. He shoots Dr. Sharon texts like, “Remind me to remind you about the Sheep…” He swears to his upstairs neighbor Mrs. Shipley that he’s not playing any music. He calls people “bud,” generously dishes out compliments and thanks, and loves a good exclamation point. It all checks out! Good job, Ted Lasso team.

We’ve also learned Ted and his mom haven’t texted since July 5, 2022. We know he and Sassy chatted on Valentine’s Day. And we notice he has people named Liam, Renee, Kenneth, Adam, Dr. Chung (his dentist), and Ron Fawch in his life — though he hasn’t texted them for years.

When Ted finally locates his conversation with Dr. Jacob, he clicks the contact to reveal a string of identical messages from the therapist between November and September 2019. Each reads, “See you next Wednesday at 10 for our session,” and Ted tapped back to like them without fail.

Creating that extra layer of backstory for viewers — no matter how small — added a great deal to the scene and helped powerfully communicate Ted’s emotions at that moment. He wasn’t just thinking about Michelle because she texted him. He was reflecting on their marriage and analyzing how they got to where they are. He was wondering how his ex-wife could be with the man they trusted to help them navigate their struggles. And he felt confused and foolish for spending so much time with them but failing to see any signs.

Crafting rich text history on television may seem like just a simple detail, and it is. But when done properly, it not only proves a series is willing to put in extra effort to satisfy viewers, it can help deepen storytelling, too.

New episode of Ted Lasso premiere Wednesdays on Apple TV+.