The Key Ingredient Ted Lasso Season 3 Lacks (And It's Too Late to Fix It)

Ted Lasso is nearing its finale, as Season 3 is known to be the last. Launched in the midst of the pandemic, the sports comedy-drama was a ray of light in dark times — and now, three years later, the beloved AFC Richmond story… has come to nothing.

Of course, we're still invested in the plot and characters, and many fans refuse to give up on the show. Still, there's no denying that the third season failed to live up to the standards set by the previous two. Let's find out what is missing there, and why Ted Lasso Season 3 has been a disappointment for many.

Failing to develop new characters and inconsistent old ones

Lots of new characters were introduced this season — Zava, Barbara, Jack. They're in the show for two or three episodes, and that's it. Although their job is, supposedly, to advance the existing storylines, they don't always do that and instead just take up the screen time, prohibiting the old characters' development.

As a result, only a few people's arcs are progressing, such as Nate's, while other beloved characters, like Higgins and Beard, seem to be there to share a few lines of wisdom from time to time.

Lacking conflict (or a MacGuffin at least)

The key to a strong and memorable screenplay is a well-crafted central idea around which the entire plot is built. Usually this is a conflict that leads to moral conclusions or an object/event/symbol that drives the plot, aka MacGuffin.

AFC Richmond are still trying to make it in the new Premier League season, but let's be honest, many viewers have already forgotten about it. Yes, the team has grown a lot, they are still on a winning streak, but the games are not the show's focus and are only happening in the background.

Instead, the focus has shifted to the characters — but, going back to the previous point, their arcs are also disappointing, as they're stale, unconnected, and contain no motivation to drive the plot.

More drama than comedy

What made the first two seasons so good was the understated feel-good humor. That's not to say that drama wasn't there or shouldn't be there. This season, however, drama has become the show's main genre, which, despite the right messages, leaves no impact.

For example, Bill Lawrence, one of the showrunners, is known for Scrubs — a hit sitcom where comedy leads to dramatic scenes that make you empathize with characters. The same approach was used in Ted Lasso Seasons 1 and 2, but not in the third one, unfortunately.

It's unlikely that the finale will compensate for the season's shortcomings, but we're still looking forward to it. Episode 12 will be released on May 31.