Ladies and gentleman of the greater AFC Richmond nation: there is at last a light at the end of our long international nightmare tunnel. After more rumors, production delays, post-production delays, and general speculation than I would care to remember right now, we finally have a Ted Lasso Season 3 trailer AND release date. The official AFC Richmond Twitter account dropped both goodies in our lap about an hour ago and with zero fanfare, because of course they did.
First up, then, here’s the announcement proper:
Oh – and double of course that they dropped the first trailer on Valentine’s Day, the lovable rom-com nerds. We all assumed it would come on Super Bowl Sunday, thanks to a) Jason Sudeikis’ hometown team making it into the game and b) Jason Sudeikis’ TV company dropping $50 million for the music rights to the game. But nope! Apple’s PR people waited two days extra, when they would have the delicious entertainment media news cycle all to themselves.
The trailer itself is pretty cute. You may recall that the last time we saw Ted & Friends, one former friend destroyed Richmond’s famous “Believe” sign after exploding at Ted in an almost entirely misdirected outburst. So the Ted Lasso Season 3 trailer picks up the pieces of that moment by having several key members of the team & staff recreate the sign with their own twist. Keeley’s is covered in glitter. Dani’s is the Spanish word for “Believe.” Roy’s is tiny and to-the-point. Higgins’ is in careful and beautiful calligraphy. Isaac’s is laced with perfectly symmetrical cuts. Sam’s is a gigantic smile, one alllmost big as the one on his own face. And Jamie’s turns a double mistake – writing the letters too big, plus misspelling the word in the first place – into a charming “BELE” followed by “i” (heart over the i) “ve” down the side of the sign.
Alongside the trailer, Apple TV also released the first Ted Lasso S3 poster:
For those of you keeping track at home, Ted Lasso Season 3’s March 15th release date is exactly 29 days from right now. That is hardly any time at all! Especially when you remember that the most recent Ted Lasso episode aired exactly 495 days ago. What’s another 29? (“Agony,” that is the correct answer. The answer is “It’s still agony.”)
Of further note about the S3 release date: It is literally the last possible day the show could air and still qualify for the 2023 Emmys. We already know there are 12 episodes in the third season; the Emmy cutoff date is May 31st. And there are exactly 12 Wednesdays between March 15 and May 31. Which further means that Ted Lasso is no longer a Friday show – now, it’s airing head-to-head against Abbott Elementary. It’s a good thing everything is on-demand now, so the only place the two funniest and most feel-good shows on television will have to actually battle each other is at awards shows.
