Is Jason Sudeikis Leaving ‘Ted Lasso’?

Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 10 “International Break” premiered today, meaning there are only two episodes left to go before the season, and potentially the series, ends. Some storylines are reaching their natural, obvious, happy conclusions. For example, Roy (Brett Goldstein) and Keeley (Juno Temple) getting back together while Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) finally lets go of her angst over Rupert (Anthony Head). And another character’s journey seems to also be hurtling towards a bittersweet end. It seems more and more that Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) himself might be leaving Apple TV+‘s Ted Lasso.

“Inconceivable!” you might be shouting. “There’s no way Apple TV+ could make more Ted Lasso without Ted Lasso! The show is literally called Ted Lasso!” And yet, more and more, Ted Lasso Season 3 seems to be circling around the reality that Ted is no longer fundamental to the show’s success. In fact, since the opening shot of Ted Lasso Season 3, the show has been telling us that Ted doesn’t really have a reason to be coaching at AFC Richmond anymore. Factor in the fact that Sudeikis has remained coy about when the series will end, Nate’s (Nick Mohammed) conveniently timed exit from West Ham, and Ted’s mysterious marathon texting habits, and we’re becoming more and more convinced that Ted Lasso Season 3 will end with Coach Lasso passing the baton of leadership to none other than Nate.

Our theory is that Apple TV+’s plan is to end Ted Lasso after three seasons, per the creators’ original outline, but to continue following AFC Richmond in a new spin-off series anchored by key cast members still game to inhabit this hilariously funny, emotionally warm and fuzzy world. Which means Ted would be gone and Ted Lasso would be over, but the vibe of Ted Lasso would keep going on forever…

The character of Ted Lasso first showed up in a series of NBC Sports ads touting the American cable network’s Premiere League offerings, but we only met the version of Ted we’ve come to know and love in the Apple TV+ show’s pilot. College football coach Ted Lasso is handpicked by Rebecca Welton to manage AFC Richmond. Lasso takes the gig in an attempt to give his wife Michelle (Andrea Anders) space after their separation. Little does he know that Rebecca has hired him to coach a sport he knows nothing about to destroy AFC Richmond. The football club is the only thing her philandering ex Rupert ever loved and she wants revenge.

The problem is Ted Lasso’s superpower is inspiring people to be their best selves. He starts by transforming Roy Kent into an empathetic leader and egocentric striker Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster) into a team player. Soon the team is more in sync than ever and even Rebecca softens under Ted’s influence. While (almost) everyone around him experiences profound positive character growth, Ted’s personal life flounders. After he officially divorces his wife, he suffers from debilitating panic attacks. By the time Season 3 starts, Ted is pining for his son across the pond and openly asking why he’s still coaching AFC Richmond. Which brings us to his obvious successor…

The first person Ted and bestie Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt) met at AFC Richmond is Nathan Shelley, the club’s abused kit man. While everyone else ignores Nate, Ted encourages the young man and unlocks his latent genius for coaching. In Season 2, Nate descends into a toxically bitter state. As he gains power in the clubhouse, he begins bullying new kit man Will (Charlie Hiscock). When Ted begins prioritizing mentoring Roy over Nate, the “wonder kid” leaks the secret of Ted’s panic attacks to the press and eventually defects to Rupert’s new rival team, West Ham. He even goes so far as to tear the team’s beloved “BELIEVE” sign upon his exit.

In this week’s episode, we learn that Nate has quit West Ham after weeks of unease and is seeking to atone for his past mistakes. Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 10 actually ends with a sequence where we learn that Nate has snuck into AFC Richmond to meticulously clean the locker room for Will as an act of apology just as Rebecca and Ted revisit a few of their iconic Season 1 scenes. Rebecca now wants Richmond to win for the sake of the whole organization, not just out of spite. Nate’s journey is moving towards reconciliation with AFC Richmond just as Rebecca is poised to lead her club to victory out of love, not hate.

Ted, on the other hand, seems to still be tied to his life in America. He has done next to nothing to acclimate to life as a British football coach (in contrast to Beard) and he is still fixated on missing his son. Ted has undeniably undergone an emotional evolution, but he has remained largely unchanged in his tastes, attitudes, habits, and exuberant connection to all things USA. His journey in Ted Lasso is akin to another eponymous hero, Mary Poppins. Ted’s role is to drop in on a group of dysfunctional British people and show them the power of hope, joy, and imagination. He’s done that. Mission accomplished. He can go home now.

And Ted Lasso has given us some clues that Ted’s already got one foot out the door. He’s barely involved in team affairs, to the point that Beard has to throw something at Ted to get him to look up at his phone so he can witness Roy in a tie-dyed shirt. What was Ted doing? Nonstop texting. Who is he texting? Someone not in the main cast of Ted Lasso. It wouldn’t be wild to bet that AFC Richmond’s hot streak has inspired an American soccer team or college football team to offer Ted a coaching contract that would get him closer to Kansas City.

Keep in mind, this is just a theory. Ted Lasso can still wrap up its third season with a dreamy Ted/Rebecca kiss, the way many fans are predicting. Coach Ted Lasso could suddenly declare plans on living in London forever so he can drink tea with Rebecca, the love of his life. However, given how most of the show’s enduring emotional arcs are wrapping up, we think Ted Lasso Season 3 Episode 12 will be the series finale. After cinching an AFC Richmond Premiere League victory with the help of fellow coaches Beard, Roy, and a reinstated Nate, Ted will fly off to his next adventure, Mary Poppins-style. The reason why Sudeikis has refused to officially call Season 3 the “final” season of Ted Lasso is that Apple TV+ will announce a spin-off about AFC Richmond.

Ted Lasso will be over, but it won’t be over. It’s just what we “believe.”