After winning countless Emmys, SAG awards, Golden Globes and Critic’s Choice awards, Ted Lasso is back for a third and final season. Available exclusively on AppleTV+, this uplifting series aimed to continue its success with the season three premiere on March 15. 

Season three opens with the Richmond Greyhounds preparing to take on a new season in the Premier League. We watch interactions and struggles we have frequently seen before—Ted (Jason Sudeikis) struggles to part from his son, the team feels intimidated by the season to come, and Nate (Nich Mohammed) continues to show his distaste for his old team as he begins his role as the head coach for West Ham United. 

While episode one had moments of the sharp, funny dialogue that Ted Lasso has become known for, there were also moments where the show began to feel repetitive or even unnecessarily over-the-top. The acting was solid, but the characters continued to face similar challenges and vocalize similar struggles while the writers attempted to make their emotions even more extreme to provide some sort of variety. 

To me, this is the challenge that sports-centered pieces of media can face. When the vast majority of the conflict is centered around a sport, there is only so much original content that can be explored. While this is a delightful series, I am excited to watch the show wrap up and hopefully preserve the magic it has achieved. 

Despite this repetition, there are still some moments that provide fresh content.

For the first time, we are given a glimpse into Nate’s life as the coach at West Ham United, the top-ranked team in the Premier League. While his character arc is confusing at times—turning sharply from a rude coach to an employee scared of the media at any given moment—it is interesting to get an inside look at the decisions he is making for his team and the relationship he is building with West Ham United’s owner, Rupert (Anthony Head). 

Keeley’s (Juno Temple) new office life is also explored during this season’s premiere. When Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) visits, we discover just how overwhelmed she is at work and how it is affecting her relationships with the people around her. 

While it wasn’t perfect, the episode still brought a smile to my face. Favorite characters on the team, such as Jamie (Phil Dunster) and Dani (Cristo Fernández), continued to be dominating presences on screen, and the end was classically heartwarming, with Ted being just as positive as we have always known him to be.

As a fan of the series, I am excited to see how season three continues. However, I don’t think season three will be enough of a standout to pull in many new viewers. The season felt like more of the same, but I am still hopeful that some unique plotlines will come up throughout the remaining episodes, such as the speculated recruitment of a new player for Richmond. 

Episode two of Ted Lasso season three came out on Apple TV+ on March 22.