All the Ted Lasso spin-offs we’d like to see

Ted Lasso star Jason Sudeikis recently confirmed that the upcoming third season will be the end of Ted’s story as the fish-out-of-water manager of AFC Richmond. That’s no surprise—the series was always conceived as a three-season arc and it looks like the creative team is sticking with that plan. It doesn’t mean the other characters can’t go on without him, though. The powers that be at Apple TV+ would no doubt be thrilled to have some kind of follow-up in the works now that they’re about to lose their original flagship show. Ted Lasso is now bankable IP.

So far, the marketing leading up to Ted Lasso’s season-three premiere on March 15 has failed to mention that this is definitively the show’s last season. Compare that to HBO’s announcement in February that Succession would end with season four, and subsequently “the final season” advertising in the trailers and posters leading up to its return on March 26. Why is Apple being so coy? Are they perhaps hedging their bets?

“The fact that folks will want more and are curious beyond more than what they don’t even know yet—that being season three—it’s flattering,” Sudeikis told Deadline in an interview published on March 6. “Maybe by May 31, once all 12 episodes of the season [have been released], they’re like, ‘Man, you know what, we get it, we’re fine. We don’t need anymore, we got it.’ But until that time comes, I will appreciate the curiosity beyond what we’ve come up with so far.”

That would seem to suggest that a spin-off, or even more than one, is not out of the question. Sudeikis said as much in the same interview: “Yeah, I think that we’ve set the table for all sorts of folks … to get to watch the further telling of these stories.”

That got us thinking about the stories and characters we’d like to keep following once Ted bows out. Here are some of our favorite (or “favourite” as Dr. Fieldstone would spell it) possibilities for future spin-offs. If anyone connected to Ted Lasso happens to be reading this, you can have them for free.

Personal Questions With Dr. Sharon Fieldstone

Before she left Richmond near the end of season two, the team’s temporary psychologist Dr. Sharon Fieldstone (Sarah Niles) told Ted that working with him had made her a better therapist. We’d love to see that in practice, or in her practice. Is Ted the only patient allowed the privilege of asking her personal questions? Or is that something she’s incorporated into her therapy sessions with others? The show could be the U.K. equivalent of Shrinking, which has done well for Apple TV+ in its first season and was co-created by Roy Kent himself, Brett Goldstein. Perhaps he’d be interested in exploring similar themes within the world of sports.

It wasn’t until the middle of the season that Dr. Sharon finally opened up to Ted about her personal life, and there’s still so much we don’t know about her. What’s her family like? Why did she become a therapist? What really happens when she has too much sugar? She has her own therapist to talk to, so we could learn more about her through her own sessions. We could even meet some of her patients. Maybe she doesn’t only treat footballers, but athletes from other sports as well. It would be a great opportunity to continue the discussion Ted Lasso started last season about the stigmatization of mental health in public life.

That’s So Sassy

Speaking of a series about therapy, there’s another recurring character who’s a mental-health professional that deserves a spin-off of her own. You may recall that Rebecca’s (Hannah Waddingham) best friend Sassy (Ellie Taylor), aka Stinky, aka Florence, isn’t just the life of every party but a child psychologist by trade. As a mother herself to spunky teen Nora (Kiki May), there could be an interesting dichotomy between how she treats her patients and how she handles her own daughter. It’s always a treat when Sassy makes an appearance on Ted Lasso, and we have no doubt that Taylor could carry a show all on her own.

We’d also be very into a show based completely around Nora. Think Sex Education meets My So-Called Life. What use is teen angst when you have a mother who’s trained to help you work through every issue? Does that make it easier or harder? In the two episodes featuring Nora so far (“Do the Right-est Thing” and “No Weddings And A Funeral”) her wit and ambition left us wanting more. She already seems wise for her age, and with a godmother like Rebecca to look up to, her potential is limitless.

Sam’s Restaurant

Sam Obisanya (Toheeb Jimoh) is a great football player and a sweet cinnamon roll of a human to boot. It was nice to see the writers giving him more complex material last season, including an ill-fated fling with Rebecca and a tough choice between remaining in Richmond or leaving to play on an African team owned by billionaire Edwin Akufo (Sam Richardson). To our relief he chose to stay, but his day out with Akufo sparked an idea. At the end of the season we see him closing a deal for a retail space where he plans to open a Nigerian restaurant. There’s a terrific show idea for you.

Imagine a spin-off set in Sam’s restaurant once it’s up and running. Maybe the business is struggling, or maybe it’s thriving, we could see both sides of it, or even a progression as the series goes on. Either way, it would be full of stories. We’d get to know the staff, cooks, and clientele, many of them immigrants with their own unique points of view. Sam would be a wonderful lead character, and Jimoh could carry it, but we wouldn’t mind it if his old Richmond buddies dropped in from time to time.

Keeley In London

By the beginning of season three Keeley (Juno Temple) is killing it as the head of her own fully operational public relations company, KJPR. She’s got a staff of odd ducks who answer to her, demanding clients to please, and a massive case of imposter syndrome. Thankfully her mentor Rebecca is there to help her through it all. It’s a lot of story for a supporting character in someone else’s show, which is why she should be the main character of her own spin-off instead.

We’re thinking Emily In Paris, except set in London, and without the clueless American (meaning Emily, not Ted, who’s at least aware of how little he knows) and annoying love triangles. It would also help if they got someone on the writing staff who knows how marketing campaigns actually work (looking at you again, Emily). Temple is too delightful in the role of Keeley to be wasted as someone else’s love interest. We want to see her take on the world, even if she sometimes fails. It would be more realistic and interesting to see her stumble as much as she succeeds. Let her figure it out as she goes, and we’ll be with her every step of the way.

Me And Uncle Roy

Whenever Ted Lasso puts Roy and his young niece Phoebe (Elodie Blomfield) together, it’s magic. There’s just something about the way the old grouch melts in her presence. Since Roy’s sister, as a single mother, works long hours in the ER, he often steps in as her caretaker. To Phoebe, a pretty astute kid, he’s somewhere between a father figure and a superhero. Well aware of his influence on her, Roy is often put in the uncomfortable position of being a good role model. He can’t stop swearing around her, though. That would be asking too much.

Would it also be asking too much for a family dramedy in which Roy quits coaching AFC Richmond and goes back to being Phoebe’s full-time football coach? The proof of concept is right there in the episode “Goodbye Earl.” We’d expect Phoebe’s mom, who hasn’t been introduced on Ted Lasso yet, to be a part of it too. We’d come just for the sibling dynamic between Roy and his sister alone. Put them all under one roof and watch the sparks fly. It would be like a stripped down, smarter version of Ladybugs with a touch of ‘90s sitcom. We’d also need scenes of Roy hanging out with his yoga group at least once an episode. We’re telling you, magic.

Coach Beard’s European Adventure

This spin-off would be just like the episode “Beard After Hours,” only extended across several episodes and various European countries. That’s it. That’s the whole concept.

Rebecca!

If Rebecca ever decided to leave Richmond behind we’d follow her wherever she wanted to go. Any excuse to see more of Hannah Waddingham bossing everyone around and being generally awesome. We know this one is probably the least likely, because Waddingham is a booked and busy queen. But we can dream. If the idea that Rebecca would set off to pursue a career as a professional singer is a little too far-fetched, perhaps she could buy a karaoke bar or invest in a West End show? Anything to give us more musical moments, and we know Rebecca can achieve anything she sets out to do. Anything, that is, except ruin her ex-husband’s football club by hiring an inexperienced American coach.