Every time I sit down to watch Ted Lasso, I feel slightly like a middle-aged woman settling down to watch her favorite show after a long day, the content of the show itself being so far removed from my current context. And yet, I can’t help but love it. Ted Lasso really, truly will charm your socks off.
*The rest of this article contains spoilers for the Season Three premiere of Ted Lasso*
I started watching the Season 3 premiere while on the treadmill at the gym, and not even five minutes later, I found myself holding back tears. Season 3 picks up with Ted taking his son Henry to the airport to return to the United States and really starting to grapple with the question of why he’s still in England when his family is so far away. Nate has left AFC Richmond to become head coach at West Ham United (the club now run by AFC Richmond’s owner’s horrific ex Rupert). Keeley and Roy are on a break; with Roy now coaching at Richmond and Keeley having started her own company. And Rebecca is frustrated, angry at Rupert, and upset that all the pundits have predicted her team to finish last.
Yet, even in all of this, with diverging pathways and characters in fresh positions, Ted Lasso maintains its signature charm. Towards the end of the episode, Nate lays into Ted pretty heavily during an interview; Rebecca then begs Ted to fight back telling him that Rupert is laughing at her and Ted does – in his own way. With his charm and self-deprecating humor, Ted goes before the reporters and kills them with kindness. And this moment is so incredibly representative of one of my favorite things about the show, its genuine kindness. Ted Lasso won me over with its representation of anxiety and panic attacks on a big stage, as someone who deals with all of that myself it took my breath away. And to be watching the Season 3 premiere and already seeing that same kindness, attentiveness and humor attached to mental health representation basically ensured me this season was going to be a good one.
Not to mention some of my other favorite moments. The return of Keeley and Rebecca’s powerhouse friendship. The way Phoebe never fails to make me laugh (and to always fight for Roy and Keeley). Seeing Jamie Tartt coming into himself as a team leader and developing even more of a friendship with Roy. And of course, the moment that made me laugh the most, Dani Rojas discovering that it is not in fact Paddington the bear himself writing his account’s tweets.
Ted Lasso is back, and it’s just as perfect as ever.