Ted Lasso may be the greatest show in the history of television. Look, I realize that a statement like that is sort of bold, but hear me out. I’m not saying that no show has ever been better than Ted Lasso, I’m just saying I’ve never seen it. After using my Apple TV+ subscription to recently watch all three seasons of the show again, I am more convinced than ever that the show is as close to perfect as TV can get.
Whether or not I’m the only one who thinks it's perfect, I’m certainly not the only one who thinks it’s great. A lot of people think the show is so good that they’re actually not sure about Ted Lasso's return, for fear the show’s greatness might be damaged in some way if the new season doesn't measure up. However, I think Ted Lasso is so good that such a thing isn’t actually possible.
Ted Lasso’s Three Seasons Tell A Complete Story That Cannot Be Tarnished
Watching all three seasons of Ted Lasso simply reinforces what a tightly-wound story it is. Details mentioned back in Season 1 return in Season 3. Every major character, from Ted Lasso and Trent Crimm (The Independent) to, yes, Nate, have satisfying character arcs. I know the show didn’t write three seasons of TV up front and then just film the whole thing, but the way the show misses no details makes it feel like it was.
And then, the show ends where it needed to end. It was the only place it could end. I guess a lot of people had issues with the Ted Lasso finale, but I'm not one of them. Everybody is where they want to be, or at least where they need to be. Each character is a better person because of Ted Lasso, and Ted is a better person because of everyone else. It’s an incredibly satisfying conclusion as a viewer.
If Ted Lasso Season 4 Doesn’t Work, Just Ignore It
But that’s the concern, because the end of Season 3 of Ted Lasso won’t be the end of the story. Ted Lasso Season 4 is coming. As a fan of Ted Lasso, I’m as excited as anybody. I can’t wait to see what happens, and I don’t think there’s a single bad episode of the show. To continue such an incredible streak will be difficult, but even if they don't, it's fine.
From all reports, the new season of Ted Lasso won't be so much a continuation of the previous story as a new story starting. We'll see Ted take control of a women's football team rather than the AFC Richmond we know. This isn't the fourth part of an ongoing saga, but an entirely new chapter. As such, it can be easily separated if it doesn't measure up.
Ted Lasso's Star Wars Connection Works Here
In addition to being a Ted Lasso fan, I’m also a Star Wars fan. Jason Sudekis has compared the three seasons of Ted Lasso to Star Wars, and the analogy is apt here as well. I’m a fan who enjoys two-thirds of the Sequel Trilogy but admittedly doesn’t love Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The fact that the Sequel Trilogy really utterly fails to stick the landing annoys me to no end. So much of it is great, and then it ends… like that.
For this reason, I haven't given much time or attention to the Sequel Trilogy since its release. But I can watch the Original Trilogy all day long, and it's still great. The fact that the prequels are mid and the Sequel Trilogy ends badly doesn't change that the Original Trilogy is pretty great. If what follows the "Ted Lasso trilogy" isn't great, that will be unfortunate, but it won't make re-watching the original three seasons bad.
I certainly hope Ted Lasso Season 4 is as great as the first three. I have every confidence that even if it's not amazing, it will still be pretty good. But even if it's not, that's fine. Even if it's somehow bad, I don't care. Nothing that follows can make the first three seasons any less perfect.
