It appears that the Apple TV Plus hit Ted Lasso may be coming to an end sooner than the fans would have liked. After the show warmed everyone's hearts through its feel-good messages and the irresistible charm of its likable lead, Brett Goldstein says Ted Lasso does not have much runtime left.
Goldstein serves as one of the Ted Lasso writers while also portraying the blunt, intimidating giant with a heart of gold Roy Kent. Recently, he confirmed to the UK website The Times that the third season of the Apple TV Plus series is being written like it's the last. Not only that, but apparently that was the plan from day one.
“We are writing it like that,” Goldstein told The Times. He later joked about how the show would end following the conclusion of Ted Lasso season 3. “It was planned as three. Spoiler alert — everyone dies.” While this is not the first time the notion has been brought up before, it is the first time that it's been set in stone. Jason Sudeikis told Entertainment Weekly last year that the show may have been ending after three seasons. He said, "the story that’s being told – that three-season arc – is one that I see, know, and understood. I’m glad that they are willing to pay for those three seasons. As far as what happens after that, who knows? I don’t know.”
Plans can change. It all depends on how the writers feel when everything is said and done. For example, Breaking Bad showrunners Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould initially had no plan to follow up on Jesse Pinkman post-Breaking Bad because they felt there was no need. Only a few years later, following the success of the show's prequel Better Call Saul, they decided to do a spinoff movie detailing how Pinkman was able to escape his demons. In the case of Ted Lasso, it's very possible that while his story ends, the show could do a spinoff focusing on Jaime Tartt's soccer career or a prequel on Rebecca Welton.
Knowing how many times a popular show has jumped the shark, props to the writers for having an end date in sight rather than going for as long as they can. If we're being honest here, while Ted Lasso season 1 was phenomenal, it truly felt like the show had gotten out what it had to say right then and there. Season 2 wasn't bad by any means, but it felt as though the writers were inventing plotlines out of thin air that either weren't adequately introduced or properly developed. It just didn't hit as hard as the stories that had been introduced, developed, and concluded in season 1's runtime.
The show definitely still has a ton of appeal, and there are plot threads that fans should be looking forward to in its supposed final season. Nate has fully turned to the dark side thanks to his demons getting the better of him in season 2, and now Sam must deal with the ramifications of turning down playing soccer for his home country while playing for his love interest at the same time. It also feels as though there may be trouble in paradise between Roy and Keeley. Ted is finally getting past his father's tragic suicide but now has to cope with Nate's betrayal. There will be a lot of ground to cover in Ted Lasso's reportedly final season.
Ted Lasso seasons 1-2 can currently be watched on Apple TV Plus.
Source: The Times, Entertainment Weekly