Ted Lasso Season 3 is just a few days away, and our ultimate source of the perfect sports comedy-drama will return to deliver us with the best of moments. While the show’s concept may have originally been picked up from Jason Sudeikis’s promos for NBC Sports’ coverage of the English Premier League, it transformed into a full-on TV series in 2020.
Developed by Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt, Bill Lawrence, and Joe Kelly, the Apple TV+ show stars the first two creators as the coaching duo of Lasso and Coach Beard. Moreover, the main cast also includes Hannah Waddhingham as Rebecca Welton – the new owner of the soccer club, Jeremy Swift as Leslie Higgins – Director of Football Operations, Phil Dunster as Jamie Tartt; Juno Temple as Keeley Jones; Brett Goldstein as Roy Kent, Nick Mohammed as Nathan Shelley and Sarah Niles as Dr Sharon Fieldstone (in Season 2).
The first season consisted ten episodes, while the second instalment took things up and switched the pattern with twelve episodes in July 2021, which is also likely to be followed by the third and probably even the final season of the series. Before heading in for the premiere of the new season this week, let’s take a look back at all the things that happened earlier as approximately two years have elapsed since the Season 2 premiere.
Ted Lasso Season 1 Recap
The long-running jokes differentiating between American football and soccer (the actual sport that requires the players’ feet to be in contact with the ball) are further foregrounded in the first season of the Apple TV series when Ted Lasso (Sudeikis), the college coach for the former sport is recruited to manage the English Premier League soccer team AFC Richmond. He traverses several thousand miles and seas apart to take on the job without any prior experience in the vicinity of the sport.
All of this is purposely done by Rebecca Welton (Waddhingham), the team’s new owner, who’s still emerging from both heart and trust break, all dues credited to her unfaithful ex-husband, Rupert Mannion, also the former owner of AFC Richmond. In attempts to pull herself out of this breach of trust and morals, Rebecca concocts the perfect scheme of making the team fail, which is to be supported by Ted’s lack of knowledge in the domain, unintentionally, of course.
On this mission, his long-time friend and assistant coach, Beard, accompanies Lasso. Although he has no playbook for managing a soccer team, Ted’s ever-shining hope and optimism lead by example and the biggest motto of his life, i.e., “Believe”. His cookie, oops, sorry, biscuit-gifting self was ready to win over his boss, Rebecca, regardless of how many thorns she threw in his way.
Meanwhile, Ted befriends Keeley Jones, a model and influencer, who also happens to be the girlfriend of Richmond’s ace player, Jamie Tartt. Although he has his talents up his sleeve, his ego gets in the way and results in hot crossfires with the team’s captain, Roy Kent, a veteran player harbouring his anger issues and expressing them through his lowkey growling grunts.
Returning to Keeley and Ted’s friendship, Rebecca uses this as another opportunity to drag the team’s name through the mud and get the players, especially Jamie, agitated. Hiring a paparazzo, she gets him to capture snaps of the two friends together to push their relationship as the up-and-coming controversial affair on the block.
Still, as Rebecca was pursuing this end, she befriends Keeley too, who helps boost her confidence at press events because they’ve started to traumatise Welton ever since her name has been popping up on the daily due to her ex-husband’s numerous escapades. Yet, somehow, she’s been painted as the bad guy in the headlines while Rupert continues to be loved by the press and everyone else alike.
On the other hand, Rebecca teaches a thing or a two about accountability to Keeley, which makes her realise that being in a relationship isn’t a game for her, and she breaks up with Jamie, who’s on the exact opposite end of the spectrum of being held accountable for his actions.
All while the two coaches, new to England, are settling in, they’re acquainted with the team’s kit man, Nathan Shelly. Once Ted and Beard greet him, it’s like a cloud-parting experience for Nathan because it’s the first time anyone remembers his name and respects his perspective and opinion. Nathan’s ideas soon find their way into the team’s formation and play, and he couldn’t be happier with these events. And ‘Nate, the Great’ isn’t the only one living through these changes. Richmond players are equally impacted by Ted’s philosophy, which turns around the know-how of the locker room scene.
‘The Lasso Way’ has them reading books and assuming leadership roles and whatnot to fully grasp the gravity of their respective roles as teammates, soccer players and, even more importantly, as people.
However, the one making it all happen, i.e. Ted, despite spreading all his positive mantras and playful jokes, is not okay. His falling apart marriage and the added burdens of managing a Premier League team while tackling the ‘fruity’, condescending and disparaging hate comments from Richmond’s loyal fanbase have all been taking a toll on him. He starts experiencing severe panic attacks, sometimes while having a good time with his team after warming up to the players or even amid a fun-fledged match.
The first time around, Rebecca is there to help him understand what’s happening to him. This also leads her to see through her vindictive actions, stirring her innate kindhearted tendencies that seemed to have drifted away for a while. Ted finally signs the divorce papers, something he’d been putting off for a while, and it makes us realise that sometimes love dissipates, and it’s no one’s fault. So, Lasso gives his ex-wife the space she needed and takes on the new challenge of his life.
On the flip side, Keeley finds her accountable other half in Roy, and the two make quite a couple. But as they get to know each other, Keeley discovers that the paparazzi thing was Rebecca, her best friend’s doing. She confronts her friend and asks her to come clean to Ted, which she does, but only after procrastinating.
Once Rupert returns uninvited to drop the bomb on his marriage and that his new partner, also Rebecca, is pregnant, Rebecca’s shields drop away, and she opens up about everything to Ted. To her surprise, he forgives her immediately because he’s probably the best person who can relate to her pain of ending a marriage. The two cross bridges and become partners in their professional run and also close friends at that moment.
At the end of the first season, Nathan’s been promoted to start as an assistant coach, while Keeley starts working with Richmond players as she becomes the club’s manager of marketing and public relations. Rebecca and Ted are finally on the same page (except maybe their different tastes for tea), as the former realises that it’s time to be great again as she sees her position for it truly is – the true Boss and owner of Richmond. Their team is relegated for the moment but has another chance to reinstate themselves in the race next season.
Also read: Shadow and Bone Season 2: All You Need to Know About the Upcoming Netflix Fantasy Series
Ted Lasson Season 2 Recap
Since we’ve already established the show’s premise with the first season’s recap, let’s keep things brief for the Season 2 recap.
What Was Ted Up To?: Ted deals with major mental breakdowns this season, but they also turn out to be major mental breakthroughs. We finally get an insight into his ‘never giving up’ and outwardly chirpy attitude and how it all relates to him having to live through his father’s suicide at a young age. His panic attacks get more severe in the second season, but thankfully he gets the much-needed help and guidance from the team’s newly appointed (short-term) therapist, Dr Sharon Fieldstone.
Trying his hand at the whole therapy thing doesn’t come easy to Lasso, especially since his last and only experience with the same had brought about the annulment of his marriage. He conveys the same message to Dr Fieldstone, too, even though much later, after several attempts of him putting up walls and not wanting to dig deep into what’s truly been troubling him.
Once he finally opens up to her despite his initial scepticism, the two develop a heartwarming bond over the season, which helps them get closer as friends in Ted’s case and/but as colleagues in Fieldstone’s case. Moreover, the case of Lasso’s panic attacks is also published by the daily ‘The Independent’ by our sceptically favourite journalist, Trent Crimm, who started respecting Ted during the previous season in a major turn of events.
Crimm eventually gives away the source’s identity to Ted and is eventually fired as he moves on in search of a more soul-fulfilling job.
Nate the Great, Not So Great Anymore?: Coming down to who the source was – it was Nathan, after all. Only a few people knew what went down behind closed doors. Before their grand match, Ted confides in his select colleagues, ‘The Diamond Dogs’ – Coach Beard, Nathan, Roy and Leslie Higgins – about why he truly left the previous match in the middle of things.
Once the news gets out to the public via an ‘anonymous’ source, it’s clear who could’ve done it. Nathan addresses the matter quite late, but he comes clean about how he’s felt neglected by Ted’s side the whole season. It’s not Lasso’s fault for setting Nate’s villain arc into motion; his insecurities act up as things pile up. With Roy joining the squad again as a fellow coach on Ted’s side, Nathan starts feeling even more sidelined.
And once his hubris takes over, he feels the need to take centre stage as a team manager on his account instead of playing a role in the background. Despite Coach Beard breaking down how they equally share the credit for the team’s success with his own unique set of metaphors and imagery, Nathan can’t help but grab the opportunity that is passed on to him by Rupert Mannion, who, by the end of the season has bought a soccer club of his own – West Ham United – to stand tall in opposition to Rebecca.
Nathan takes the spot as the head coach on Rupert’s new team and parts ways from Richmond on a bitter note after tearing down the ‘Believe’ sign put up in the locker room.
Also read: Miley Cyrus Endless Summer Vacation Backyard Sessions Review: Musical Treat with Front Row Seats
All Things Related to Rebecca: Having to deal with the complicated marriage of her parents, Rebecca hopes that one day her mother will realise that she deserves better and separate from her father (Rebecca caught him cheating on her mother when she was quite young) for good. At this point, she’s gotten used to their sporadic breakups, but one day when her mother drops by her place, yet again, unannounced, the worst possibility sets down in front of her feet – her father’s death.
Additionally, throughout the season, we see her on the lookout for love. She finally finds a piece of authenticity and a genuine exchange on Bantr, a new dating app that Keeley’s been partnering with. Call it fortunate or not, her secret love interest turns out to be none other than her team player – Sam Obisanya.
Though Sam is loving, kind, and all things good, Rebecca can’t fully give in to the relationship due to their age gap. However, further probing into the matter later makes her acknowledge her self-doubts and inhibitions as the reason why the same can’t work out instead of the former reason. She breaks it off with him and embarks on her journey of self-discovery.
Jamie, His Relationship With His Father and Roy: A clear picture of Jamie’s relationship with his father is drawn for us to witness in the second run. The first season briefly hinted at the toxic exchanges between the two as his father, hell-bent on his son adopting a macho identity, gets in the way of Tartt finding his true self. A vivid image of how abusive he truly is come on top on the day of their match against Manchester City when he barges into the locker room and belittles his son in front of everyone.
Tartt’s left not only heartbroken but also ashamed and scared. Thankfully, in a surprising act, Roy comes to his rescue and embraces him, reassuring him that he and the team have his back.
Roy and Keeley’s Relationship: As the second season commences, Kent has indeed hung up the cape on his playing days as he announces his retirement. However, the sport is all that’s ever made him feel alive, and ebbing away from it kills him from within. For the time being, he takes up the spot as the soccer coach at his niece Phoebe’s school, gets her team running, and makes them fall for the sport too.
Meanwhile, Keeley does what she’s best at and keeps pulling the strings to get Roy closer to his love for soccer. After endless sessions of her persuading him, Roy finally sits down as a soccer pundit and is instantly loved by the audience for his candid and open takes on the players and the game. Lasso, on the other hand, keeps trying to get him back to the pitch as his ulterior motives eventually roll out and even succeed after a point in getting Roy to lead the team as one of the coaches.
Keeley, who’s been working as Richmond’s marketing manager so far, gets the big break she’d been waiting for. Bantr helps her achieve her dreams of starting a firm of her own. However, between her new job starting soon and Jamie’s abrupt confession of being in love with her at Rebecca’s dad’s funeral, her relationship with Roy heads out on a bumpy road, which remains to be addressed in the upcoming season.
Ted Lasso Season 3 will premiere on March 15, 2023. Till then, check out the first two seasons of the Emmy-winning sports dramedy streaming on Apple TV+.