The Ted Lasso Season 3 finale “So Long, Farewell” may or may not be the official series finale — Apple TV+ still is staying stubbornly mum on that score — but it definitely wraps up the most divisive season of the hit comedy to date. If Ted Lasso Season 1 was a sparkling gem of sitcom writing perfection and Season 2 an ambitious exercise in toying with a winning formula, Season 3 was where the Ted Lasso team bought too much of their own hype. Poorly-paced storylines, over-long episodes, and wild character choices could only be overlooked by true devotees of the show.
The good news is the Ted Lasso Season 3 finale largely stuck its landing, offering the tender mix of comedy and catharsis that made the show a smash hit. The bad news is it might not be enough to pull a woefully uneven season of television together. If this is truly the end of Ted Lasso, is it the grand finale the cultural touchstone deserves? Or is a mere shrug of an ending?
Ted Lasso Season 3 premiered on March 15, 2023, nearly 18 months after the Season 2 finale. There had been rumblings that star and EP Jason Sudeikis’s perfectionism was delaying production by forcing multiple script rewrites and episode reshoots. What ultimately hit Apple TV+ ironically could have benefitted from a few more edits. Early Season 3 episodes either treaded narrative water or introduced subplots that ultimately went nowhere. What exactly did mercurial soccer superstar Zava (Maximillian Olenski) ultimately add to the story? Why did Shandy (Ambreen Razia) suddenly transform from a surprisingly sharp WAG to Keeley’s (Juno Temple) hapless rival? Key dramatic moments for the main characters bizarrely occurred off-screen and episode lengths ballooned from Season 1’s half hour average run time to 70+ minutes. We did not need to watch Nate’s (Nick Mohammed) mom leave him tray upon tray of food, but we probably should have seen the moment he gave his notice to Rupert (Anthony Head) at West Ham!
This isn’t to say that Ted Lasso Season 3 was a disaster. Jamie Tartt’s (Phil Dunster) transformation from AFC Richmond’s most diabolical diva into its most humble team player was a particular delight to watch — and allowed Dunster to finally snatch the spotlight from his talented co-stars. The choice to invite sports journalist Trent Crimm (James Lance) behind-the-scenes opened the door for some of the season’s most exquisite moments. And as always, the interplay between Ted Lasso‘s ensemble cast was stunning to watch. Even at its worst, Ted Lasso is a fun show to watch thanks to the work of Emmy-winning actors like Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, and Brett Goldstein.
Which brings us to the Ted Lasso Season 3 finale. Sure, “So Long, Farewell” clocked in at a whopping 76 minutes, but it earned that super-sized runtime by closing the loop on several beats, gags, and emotional arcs that were kicked off all the way back in the pilot. After finally coaching AFC Richmond to victory over their key rivals, Ted (Jason Sudeikis) decides to return home to the United States. Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) repeatedly begs him to stay, but in the end, Ted needs to return to his home to his family. All season long — heck, all series long — Ted has yearned for this homecoming. It is only fitting that he gets his happy ending just as Rebecca gets hers: embracing her role as club mother and letting her bitterness over her divorce melt away.
My only gripe with the Ted Lasso Season 3 finale is one that I’ve had with the season overall. Unlike Seasons 1 and 2, Ted Lasso Season 3 seemed to be stuck in the shadow of its own mythos, constantly winking like a coquette at its ardent fanbase. Were you hoping that Ted and Rebecca would fall in love? Jason Sudeikis knows this and opened the finale with a fake out teasing that the platonic buddies might have actually slept together. Obsessed with the iconography of the “BELIEVE” sign? There’s a tearjerker moment where the lads piece the torn up sign back together, Kintsugi style (which is also a callback). The coach Rupert snags for West Ham is the neanderthal Rebecca sacked to hire Ted in the first place. The Easter eggs are everywhere.
When I think of the first two seasons of Ted Lasso, I think of unbridled joy and savage wit. Upon reflecting on this last season, I only feel like shrugging. It was fine! Not Ted Lasso at its most sharp, confident, or inspired, but fine. That’s the problem. It might be enough for some fans to simply love the characters, but I wanted more from Ted Lasso Season 3. I wanted a third season of transcendent comedy writing. I don’t believe we got that.