It’s Been 6 Months Since ‘Ted Lasso’s Season 3 Finale… And We’re Still Waiting For What’s Next

By Nicole Gallucci @nicolemichele5
Published Dec. 6, 2023, 8:00 a.m. ET

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On May 31, 2023, perplexed AFC Richmond fans watched Jason Sudeikis’ beloved fictional football coach stare them down as The Flaming Lips’ early 2000s jam “Fight Test” ushered in the end credits of Ted Lasso Season 3. In the months, weeks, days, and even hours leading up to the supersized episode, the most diehard devotees of the Emmy-winning Apple TV+ dramedy had no idea if the final scene in “So Long, Farewell” would mark the end of the series. And six months later, they still don’t!

Whether the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes delayed Ted Lasso and Apple TV+ discussions or Season 3 showrunner Jason Sudeikis and his fellow co-creators have yet to decide on a Richmond game plan, fans have no more clarity on the future of the series heading into 2024 than they did back in May.

Will the show continue sans Ted, or will he return to his second home abroad? Are we getting a spinoff that shows Roy (Brett Goldstein) as AFC’s new manager and Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) and Keeley (Juno Temple) assembling an AFC Women’s Team? Were all those flash-forwards at the end of Season 3 part of an elaborate dream sequence? And does Rebecca really end up with that Dutch Boat Man (whose name I still don’t know,) or will TedBecca stans eventually get the rom-com ending they’ve been craving?

Unclear on all counts! But fans deserve some closure!

Jason Sudeikis and Hannah Waddingham on 'Ted Lasso'
Photo: Apple TV+

Despite the lack of official updates on the future of Ted Lasso, a potential Season 4, or any possible spinoff series, there have been quite a few noteworthy show-related developments over the past six months that could suggest all hope isn’t lost! Apple TV+ and Ted Lasso reps have yet to respond to Decider’s request for comment, but despite major mixed signals from creators repeatedly saying they saw the series as a three-season story but refusing to shut down a Season 4, reps did emphasize back in May that “season three has not been confirmed as the final season.” 

On one hand, the cast and crew shared last-minute goodbye posts to social media ahead of the Season 3 finale, then released six and a half minutes of emotional bonus footage that offered an added sense of finality. On the other hand, Apple TV+ actively chose to include “Season Finale” (not “Series Finale”) in the “So Long, Farewell” episode description. And a week after the finale aired, the streamer tweeted a photo of AFC Richmond leaders Roy, Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt), and Nate (Nick Mohammed) alongside the caption, “Smells like potential.” Understandably, fans took the post as a tease for Richmond stories still to come.

As Decider noted in a previous piece, whenever it seems like more Ted Lasso is out of the question, someone says something to give fans a renewed sliver of hope. Over the years, those involved with the series have vocalized interest in a potential continuation of sorts, with writer and star Brett Goldstein even telling Variety, “I love playing Roy Kent. I have pitched a Season 4 idea to Jason that he is considering.”

In the months since Ted Lasso Season 3 concluded, Mattel released a line of Ted Lasso Barbie dolls; actors Brendan Hunt, Kola Bokinni, and Billy Harris accepted an award on behalf of the show’s positive awareness of mental health; Jason Sudeikis busted out his character’s signature dance at a college basketball game, then busted out some serious vocals with Ted Lasso co-stars at his annual Thundergong! benefit concert; and Hannah Waddingham orchestrated a massive Ted Lasso reunion for her Apple TV+ holiday special, Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas.

The show’s continued prevalence in today’s pop culture landscape emphasizes its enduring popularity, the close relationships among cast members, and their strong ties to Apple. So I don’t think we can say that a return to Richmond is out of the question quite yet — especially when cast members like Hannah Waddingham and Nick Mohammed are jokingly dropping “Ted Lasso Season 4” bombs right before our eyes.

In a post-finale Reddit AMA, co-creator Brendan Hunt told fans that he and the cast “don’t know” the fate of the series, but he assured everyone, “we need a break and will take one presently. Nothing has been ruled out, everything is possible; but that includes the possibility that we’re done. We won’t know until we’ve sat with it for a while, decompressed, etc.” Waddingham echoed that sentiment in an interview with Deadline, saying, “I genuinely have no idea — none of us does (if this is the series finale).”

As for a possible women’s league spin-off (which her co-star Juno Temple expressed interest in,) Waddingham recently told The Hollywood Reporter, “Everyone keeps asking this, but no, there’s been no word of a spinoff at all, and I have made it quite clear that unless Ted was in it… I can’t imagine really a world where Rebecca exists without Ted because they are each other’s inspiration.”

So six months after the Season 3 finale, it sounds like the future of Ted Lasso is, as predicted, in the hands of Jason Sudeikis. We’ll have to wait and see if he’s willing to reprise his critically acclaimed role to some extent and explore the world he created beyond his original vision. And then after “a break” of unknown length, the cast would have to find themselves in a position to commit.

Until then, in the paraphrased words of the kind coach himself: Thank you, Ted Lasso, for all the memories, the laughs, the tears, the impactful storylines, the charming characters, and the renewed sense of hope. And fuck you for leaving us hanging.

Ted Lasso Seasons 1 through 3 are currently streaming on Apple TV+.