Back To The Field! Ted Lasso Season 3 Finally Has A Release Date

The world can feel like a pretty dark and scary place these days. But if there’s one TV show that seems to be able to collectively pull us all out of our funk (at least temporarily), it’s the widely popular Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso. Jason Sudeikis brings the titular character to life as the lovable head coach of a British soccer team whose lack of experience is more than made up for by his never-ending optimism and enthusiasm. The rest of the cast proves to be just as equally talented, giving this show enough heart, facial hair, and biscuit-eating to turn even the most avid sports hater into a superfan. And at long last, we have an official date for the premiere of Ted Lasso Season 3. To quote everyone’s favorite fictional soccer coach, it feels like we “fell out of the lucky tree, hit every branch on the way down, and ended up in a pool of cash and Sour Patch Kids.”

Since the series first premiered in 2020, Ted Lasso has gone on to dominate in the awards arena, receiving a whopping 20 Primetime Emmy nominations in 2021 and breaking Glee’s record as the most Emmy-nominated freshman comedy in TV history. The series won in the categories of Outstanding Comedy, Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series, and Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

Needless to say, the show is beloved by both fans and critics alike, which makes its inevitable return all the more pressing. Will Ted Lasso’s third season be its last? What can fans expect when it returns? Here’s everything you need to know.

When is the Ted Lasso Season 3 release date?

Thanks to a brand new sneak peek trailer, fans finally have a premiere date for Season 3: March 15. Following the premiere, new episodes of Season 3 will release each week on Wednesday.

During AppleTV+’s presentation during the Television Critics Association winter 2023 press tour, the streamer released a first-look photo teasing the rivalry between Ted (Sudeikis) and Nate (Nick Mohammed).

Prior to this point, the show’s stars have dropped a few behind-the-scenes production peeks. Brendan Hunt, who serves as both a star and creator of the series, posted a picture on Instagram of him and Sudeikis getting ready to board a plane together on Jan. 4 with a caption reading, “Here we go.” Sure, they could’ve just been going on a fun trip together, but the most likely assumption from this photo is that they were heading off to start shooting the third season. But just in case you need a little more evidence than that, Kola Bokinni, who plays Isaac on the show, has since posted several pictures on Twitter of himself and fellow castmates.

How many episodes of Season 3 will there be?

Given that Ted Lasso episodes tend to run on the shorter side, it’s also a good idea to know how many episodes of delectable content you will get when Season 3 is here. Luckily, it’ll prove to be well worth the wait. Sudeikis confirmed the number of episodes backstage at the 2021 Emmys. “They, being Apple, asked for 12 episodes and this time, ahead of time,” he stated at the time, as per Deadline. “So, we’ll be doing 12 episodes as of now.”

Who will be returning?

Right now, it looks like all of the main characters will be back for the third season, including Sudeikis (Ted Lasso), Hannah Waddingham (Rebecca Welton), Brett Goldstein (Roy Kent), Hunt (Coach Beard), Juno Temple (Keeley Jones), Phil Dunster (Jamie Tartt), Toheeb Jimoh (Sam Obisanya), and Mohammed (Nate Shelley). As a bonus, Deadline spoke with series showrunner Bill Lawrence in October 2021, who revealed that Sarah Niles (the team’s former therapist, Dr. Sharon Fieldstone) and James Lance (Trent Crimm, former sports reporter for The Independent) will “both of them have significant roles next year.”

What will Season 3 be about?

At this point, there isn’t a ton of information floating around about the third season. However, the series’ stars have given viewers a few fun plot lines to anticipate — including the future of Sam and Rebecca’s relationship.

“I will fight for it, 100 percent,” Jimoh told Entertainment Tonight in January 2022. “But listen, wherever the story goes, it goes… [Sam and Rebecca] are so close, they have an insane chemistry, but I’m also like, if that’s a friendship then, and it’s platonic as well, then that’s also really [great]. I think whatever’s best for them, whatever makes them happy in the end, like, I’m rooting for them.”

At the PGA Awards, producer Kip Kroeger also told Deadline, “It’s deeper into the backstories. You know, we’re going to get a little more information about where they came from.”

We can also expect a bit of freshness and familiarity in Season 3 in terms of how it will start. “Well, we don’t like to do the same thing twice,” Hunt said. “In Season 1, we joined the [Premier League] season in January. In Season 2, we joined the season in late September. We’ve never gone from the start of a season, so perhaps that’s something we want to get to. And just by dint of how the schedule works in the English Premier League, we will play West Ham twice — home and away, because that’s how it goes.”

Speaking at the TCA winter 2023 press tour, Hunt hinted that Season 3 will be worth the wait, saying, “I’ve seen cuts, and it’s f***ing amazing.”

Will Season 3 be Ted Lasso’s swan song?

Listen, this is TV; plot twists can and should be expected. But in full disclosure, the creators have suggested that Ted Lasso could very well end with Season 3. “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,” Sudeikis told Entertainment Weekly.

Hunt agreed, adding, “None of us were prepared to the degree to which people love this show... I think we’ve always meant it to be three seasons. I think it would be pretty cool if, in the face of how much everyone likes this show, that we stick to our guns and really just do three seasons.”

And, if we’re really being honest with ourselves, the caption of the first look photo — “Time to win the whole f***ing thing” — does feel a little... final. But who knows? Until the streamer confirms the show is ending, there’s still hope to be had.

For now, you can enjoy the first and second seasons of Ted Lasso on Apple TV+.