It’s been a year and a half since Ted Lasso’s Season 3 finale aired, and since then, there’s been a lot of reflection on its legacy and the possibility of a fourth season happening. Now, there’s a whole book about one of Apple TV+’s best shows called Believe: The Untold Story Behind Ted Lasso, The Show That Kicked Its Way Into Our Hearts. So, when I had the chance to chat with its author, Jeremy Egner, I asked about his experience speaking with the cast, and that included us talking about Jason Sudeikis's big comments regarding the criticism Season 3 received.
What Jason Sudeikis Said About Season 3’s Criticism
When Season 3 came out, it was met with a surprising amount of complaints considering how beloved the first two installments were. So, when it came time to talk about the show for this book, many from the Ted Lasso cast spoke openly about the criticism Season 3 received from fans and critics alike. Jason Sudeikis’ comments, which are from a SAG-AFTRA conversation and were published in this book, stood out. He really didn’t hold back his thoughts, as he defended his show by saying:
Much like live theater, the show, especially season three, was asking the audience to be an active participant. Some people want to do that, some people don’t. Some people want to judge – they don’t want to be curious. I’ll never understand people who will go on talking about something so brazenly that they, in my opinion, clearly don’t understand. And God bless ‘em for it; it’s not their fault. They don’t have imaginations and they’re not open to the experience of what it’s like to have one.
Along with Sudeikis’ thoughts on the matter, Egner also included quotes from folks like Coach Beard actor and co-creator Brendan Hunt, director Declan Lowney, assistant script supervisor Sara Romanelli and editor Melissa McCoy about the topic. They all spoke about the expectations on the show and how proud they are of it and its last season. However, the section ended with another statement from the Ted Lasso actor about the topic, as he said:
All we want to do is leave a little green arrow next to everybody. Everybody’s in better shape than when they started. Like a good Boy or Girl Scout at a campsite, we left it better than we found it. And if you don’t see that in that show, then I don’t know what show you were watching.
When I read this book, I was shocked by how open, candid and assertive the Emmy-winner’s words were. So, when I had the chance to interview the man who put all these thoughts into one book, I had to inquire about it and the “tricky” questions he asked while working on this project.
What Author Jeremy Egner Told Me About Asking Questions About Season 3’s Reception To The Cast
As a journalist and a Ted Lasso fan, I couldn’t help but wonder what the hardest question was to ask while writing this book. According to Jeremy Egner, who is also the TV editor at The New York Times, one of the “tricky” topics to broach was the Season 3 criticism. He told me:
The reception the third season, it was always kind of like, ‘So when everybody stopped loving it, how did that feel?’ You know what I mean? That's a tricky one. But, you know, most people were pretty game.
I imagine this would be the hardest question to ask. For the most part, Ted Lasso didn’t have many rough patches, and while that’s great, it does make the one kind of tough moment tougher. However, most people were pretty game to talk about it, as the book – which you can buy on Amazon – makes very clear.
When I asked Egner about the lead actor’s comments specifically, he told me that he understood where he was coming from. He also explained the overall outlook the people had about the various critiques the final season got. The author said:
I think they're very much like, ‘Look, we made the show we wanted to make. You know, some people say that we didn't do what they wanted them to do. There's just only so much that we can do as the creators of the show.’ Sort of, ‘We gave them what we thought was the way to wrap this story up, and they can come to us and meet us on that if they want, or if they don't, they don't have to. But, you know, this is the thing we made.’ Which, I mean, makes sense, I think. What else can you say about that?
Egner went on to say that he actually really enjoyed the Season 3 finale, especially when he re-watched it. So, overall, he understood where everyone was coming from when he asked this question, and so did I.
Overall, this story shows that asking the “tricky” questions is worth it, because, in this case, it resulted in informative and strong comments that shine a new light on the criticism Ted Lasso received over a year ago.
To go back and see the season that everyone was talking about here – as well as the first two seasons – you can stream Ted Lasso with an Apple TV+ subscription.
