Ted Lasso’s season 3 premiere overview: a full-on existential disaster

The texture-good sitcom Ted Lasso relies on an absurd premise: an American faculty soccer coach takes on supervisor duties at a small membership within the English Premier League, regardless of understanding nearly nothing about soccer. And regardless of the usually quick shelf-life inherent within the job, he managed to maintain the gig. Folks (largely) love him, the workforce (ultimately) performed effectively, and right here we’re with Ted (Jason Sudeikis) getting ready for his third season in cost. It brings with it a burning query: what the hell is he nonetheless doing right here?

Notice: this overview relies on the primary episode of Ted Lasso season 3, which premieres on March fifteenth. It contains very mild spoilers.

The opening episode of Ted Lasso’s third season is greatest described as an existential disaster for the perpetually chipper coach. Whereas he maintains a optimistic demeanor — it’s principally his total persona — the cracks have been exhibiting for a while, from his battle to take care of a altering household again dwelling in Kansas to his incapacity to handle his proficient former assistant coach Nate (Nick Mohammed). An necessary plot thread in season 2 was Ted embracing his therapist Dr. Fieldstone (Sarah Niles) and making an attempt to take care of these issues in a extra severe approach. Early on within the premiere episode, we see Ted remains to be checking in together with her, placing within the work.

Ted was already going via so much, and life doesn’t get any simpler as the brand new season begins. It opens with the coach dropping off his son for the lengthy flight dwelling after an prolonged go to in London. Then he heads to the workplace to study that each newspaper and web site within the nation has predicted AFC Richmond (the membership he coaches) to complete useless final this yr.

Nick Mohammed in season 3 of Ted Lasso. Picture: Apple

In the meantime, as Ted is seemingly caught on this rut, lots of the necessary folks round him are coping with thrilling adjustments: Roy (Brett Goldstein) is settling into his function as Ted’s new assistant, Keeley (Juno Temple) has began her personal PR agency, and, most importantly, Nate has left Richmond to take the reins at rival membership West Ham United. (For added drama, West Ham is owned by Rupert [Anthony Head], whose divorce from Richmond proprietor Rebecca [Hannah Waddingham] kicked off the entire Ted Lasso hiring within the first place.)

Nate’s flip is very necessary right here. His rise has been dramatic: at first of the present, he was answerable for workforce uniforms, was ultimately promoted to assistant coach, and, after each proving himself a tactical genius and having a falling out with Ted, is now answerable for a contending workforce. That’s fairly the rise in two years. However Nate slowly grew an increasing number of jaded with Ted’s overbearing positivity and the shortage of consideration he obtained in season 2 — you could possibly even see his hair flip steadily gray over the course of the season — and now he’s only a straight-up villain. He clothes in black, berates his gamers, and takes conferences with Rupert in what seems to be like a supervillain’s lair. He even insults Ted in his very first press convention (which Ted, naturally, embraces with much more folksy positivity).

Nate is a sympathetic villain, after all, and it’s straightforward to grasp why, after years of being underappreciated at work and at dwelling, he embraces the help of Rupert. Everybody desires to really feel wanted. However alternatively, he’s additionally change into an actual dick, the IRL model of a troll who will say something if it will get a response. The present is clearly constructing as much as some sort of showdown between Nate and Ted’s contrasting kinds: a cartoonish villain towards a cartoonishly cheerful hero.

Juno Temple and Hannah Waddingham in season 3 of Ted Lasso. Picture: Apple

However earlier than that occurs, it looks as if Ted has to take care of his personal issues. His unorthodox method to managing Richmond is inflicting points. Rebecca desperately desires to beat her ex-husband and worries Ted isn’t taking the problem significantly sufficient. He nonetheless barely understands the game — although he would possibly know greater than he lets on; his workers could be very impressed when Ted reveals some tactical consciousness — and doesn’t see the necessity to add new gamers to his tightly-knit group. In the meantime, a current workforce tour has induced a detrimental stir on social media, making issues even messier. And all of that is occurring whereas Ted is feeling alone in a foreign country, miles away from his son.

The present appears to be setting him up for a loss on the sphere — however Ted might use a win of any variety. In any other case, what’s the purpose in persevering with to stay round?

Ted Lasso season 3 begins streaming on Apple TV Plus on March fifteenth, with new episodes each Wednesday.