Three weeks out from its May 31 finale, Apple TV+ isn’t confirming that Ted Lasso will end with Season 3 — and it’s probably because it won’t end with Season 3. Are we as certain of that as our title character is in his dart game? Of course not! But it’s getting easier to imagine a version of the Emmy-winning comedy without Jason Sudeikis in starting position.
For starters, the seeds have been planted. There have been stretches of Season 3 where Ted’s been relegated to the background — no more so than in Wednesday’s “La Locker Room Aux Folles,” during which he’s preoccupied with a virtual parent/teacher conference.Heck, even his signature locker room speech is pointless here. In an attempt to make a newly out Colin feel seen, Coach Lasso inadvertently compares being gay to being a Denver Broncos fan and regrets it immediately. Remove that moment from the episode, and it changes absolutely nothing. It does, however, hint that his role as the Greyhounds’ guiding light has dimmed — or rather, isn’t as essential as it once was. He has given Colin, Isaac, Jamie et al. the tools they need to succeed without him.
Meanwhile, as the series enters its perceived homestretch, the culmination of Ted’s journey feels like the only resolution in sight. From the opening moments of the March 15 premiere — which we discussed at length with Jason Sudeikis here — Ted has been conflicted about his commitment to the team and the time he’s lost with Henry as a result of said commitment. He remains in London for one reason and one reason only: to win the whole thing. Once he’s done that — and it seems increasingly likely that he will, in light of the club’s recent winning streak — there’s nothing tying him to Richmond.
Then there’s Roy, who seems like he’s being primed for a larger role in a quasi-spinoff — perhaps as Ted’s successor? His commitment to training Jamie on his own time was probably our first clue. Then in the opening scene of Wednesday’s episode, Roy makes a point of telling his former teammates that they’re doing a great job. (Cue Coach Beard’s fainting spell!) Sure, he hedges when Rebecca asks him to fill in at an afternoon presser, but by the time he actually goes before the press, he ably defends Isaac — and he does it in a very Ted Lasso way, pulling from his past to inform the events of the match against Brighton.
So, what do you think? Is Ted Lasso readying a Sudeikis-less continuation as this three-season arc winds down? And is a Lasso-free continuation something you’d want to see? Sound off in Comments.
This story originally appeared on TVLine
