Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for the finale of Ted LassoTed Lassowas a thing that shouldn’t have been. Sprung forth from a fewNBC Sports commercial spotscelebrating their coverage of the Premier League, its genesis is quite possibly the weakest foundation for an intellectual property since giving the Spot from Seven Up its own video game. What materialized from that flimsy foundation however, thanks to the strength of show creatorsJason Sudeikis,Bill Lawrence,Brendan Hunt, andJoe Kelly, was a refreshingly candid and upbeat show that balanced multiple characters’ storylines, sandwiching lightning-fast pop culture references between positive philosophies regarding hope and belief in oneself. The finale was an extension of that philosophy, offering little in the way of surprises. It was exactly what its viewers expected it to be — but that is no criticism. In fact, that predictability is actually what made the finale work in a season that failed to capture what made the show so beloved in the first place.
Ted Lassohas made its mark standing out from its peers by believing in its characters and its viewers. There were few left field revelations meant to spur water cooler conversation. Though the show grew its viewership by being that show that friends couldn’t shut up about, it did so through dynamic writing, easy-to-love characters, and a unique formula — not big shockers or plot twists. While the dominant hits of the past decade from HBO and Showtime have involvedawful people getting progressively more awful,Ted Lassorevolved around a group of decent people actively working on bettering themselves.
Related:Is There a Way Forward After ‘Ted Lasso’ Season 3?
Season 3 ofTed Lassolost its way more often than not, withstorylines that stretched too farand flittered out without changing anything. An increased runtime gave the showrunners more room to play with the toys in their sandbox, but doing so pulled focus fromwhat made the show work so well in its first two seasons. Having a hotshot superstar join the team for several episodes disrupted the overall meaning of the show. Zava(Maximilian Osinski) led the team to multiple wins, but his inclusion ultimately overshadowed Ted’s effectiveness as coach, rendering the victories hollow. Keeley (Juno Temple) has a romance with her investor Jack (Jodi Balfour)that goes nowhere and changes nothing. As the finale crept closer, it seemed there were too many threads dangling for the showrunners to nail the dismount.
The finale fansdidget was terrifically predictable — some might say to its fault. For the most part, everything that fans expected to happen actually happened. In a show molded by the idea that perseverance and belief can make one’s goals attainable, it is only just that fans had their faith in the show rewarded by a finale that played a familiar tune. Going so far as to show the team bidding farewell to their fair American friends with a musical number (befitting Ted’s frequent musical references, and highlightingone of the series’ missed opportunities) hit every note true and clear. The show, literally, went out on a high note.
It Makes Sense For Ted to Return Home
As predicted,Ted opts to leave the teamat the end of his third year, confident that the work he’d done in that time would aid the team long after his departure. As much as he cared for the Greyhounds, the career his heart ultimately called him to was to be coach to a team of one: his son, Henry (Gus Turner). While it could’ve been rosier to have Ted convince Michelle (Andrea Anders) to move to England with Henry and allow him to continue his work, it wouldn’t have been fair to the young Lasso and wouldn’t align with Ted’s commitment to being a better father than the one he had.
The one outlier, however, was Rebecca’s (Hannah Waddingham) chance encounterwith the charming Dutchmanat the airport along with his daughter. While this seemed to be an act of kismet, however, it actually served to round out her“Psychic Vision” storyline. If there were any true surprises to speak of, one could argue it’s the revelation on the plane that Coach Beard’s (Brendan Hunt) first name might be “Willis,” but it’s also conceivable that it’s another one of Ted’s many, many pop culture metaphors and could just as easily be a reference toDiff’rent Strokes. Hopefully we’ll debate this for years to come, much as the cut to black finale ofThe Sopranos.
‘Ted Lasso’ Ended the Way It Should
In truth, most of the final episode ofTed Lassogoes for the mega-happy ending, and while that might be the most predictable outcome, it is not a blight against the show’s run in any measure. It would’ve been cynically out of character to end the show with a shocking death or crushing loss. To shatter the camaraderie or leave the team at one another’s throats is best kept to the HBO or FXX crowd.Ted Lassoasks that timeless question posed byElvis Costello: “What’s So Funny About Peace, Love, & Understanding?” Why can’t the good guys win? We could just play some footy and grow as people.
Viewers want Ted reunited with Henry,they want Rebecca to find purposebeyond spiting Richard (Anthony Head), they want Sam (Toheeb Jimoh) on the Nigerian League, and they want Keeley adopting the agency and autonomy of a strong, independent woman. Though the ending fans received won’t be busting any brackets on DraftKings, it couldn’t and shouldn’t have ended any other way. There’s no need for an overly long coda revealing the fate of each and every player on AFC Richmond because it’s known that they’re going to be okay. Even though they didn’t “win the whole fucking thing,”Ted Lassowon over the hearts of its viewers and saw them through a dark period of history, offering a vision of hope and revelry onscreen that was desperately needed. Now that the work is done, as is Ted’s at Richmond, it’s time to say “So Long, Farewell.”
