Third season of Emmy-winning Apple TV+ series ‘Ted Lasso’ kicks off on sour note as pundits expect folksy American coach’s AFC Richmond football team to finish last of the English Premier League and be relegated.
Even with those headwinds, the eternally optimistic Lasso coach played by Jason Sudeikis has instilled his team with family love to weather the tough times of the season which kicks off Wednesday.
“At the start of the season they come to the Premier League and a lot of people don’t expect them to do very well,” said Toheeb Jimoh, the actor who plays player Sam Obisanya. “They face a lot of outside noise.”
Despite the doubters, Ted’s team is maintaining what Jimoh calls the “Lasso Method” this season, which is about having compassion for each other and never losing faith.
Sudeikis, who created the series with Coach Beard actor Brendan Hunt and TV producers Bill Lawrence and Joe Kelly, continues to express Ted’s vulnerability as he deals with the anxiety and sadness that comes with being to be away from his son.
“Even though the world tries to tell us that we’re different, you know, male, female, left, right, black, white, etc., there’s a lot of overlap in all of our relationships as human beings that we the face and the feel,” Sudeikis said.
It rubbed off on captain-turned-assistant coach Roy Kent, played by Brett Goldstein, who refers to AFC Richmond as a family and explained that every team-mate has a role in their family.
“He loves these people,” Goldstein said, referring to Roy.
AFC Richmond owner Rebecca Welton, played by Hannah Waddingham, also embraces the warm and fuzzy team feeling.
“She wants her boys to win. She wants Ted to win. She wants Ted to be recognized for the extraordinary strength that he is,” Waddingham said.
There is, however, an antagonist. Nathan Shelley, the equipment man-turned-assistant coach played by Nick Mohammed, went to coach an opposing team and speaks ill of Lasso.
Speculation is rife that the show could end after this season, although nothing official has been announced by Apple TV+.
If this was the final season, Jimoh feels like the show’s goals have already been met.
“Ted came with a mission and, regardless of wins and losses, (it was) to make these players the best versions of themselves on and off the pitch,” he said. . “I think he’s getting to a point where he’s done that.”