The Emmy backstage press room is not necessarily known for its hard-hitting journalism. As the winners take to the mic, beaming from ear to ear as they clutch their brand new statuettes, they’re expecting softballs. And most of the time that’s what they get. Every once in a while, things get heated: I still remember, years ago, “Mad about You” star Helen Hunt getting testy with a reporter who dared ask about the end of the show.
Keeping that in mind, there I was once again backstage last year in the press room when I realized that no one else was going to ask a similar question to the “Ted Lasso” cast and producers. Having won back-to-back Emmys for outstanding comedy, “Ted Lasso” was on a roll. And yet, there were already signals that “Ted Lasso” might wrap after a third and final season. So, I asked star Jason Sudeikis that question.
After they filed into the room and talked about the win, I got my turn at the mic. Sudeikis danced around an answer, which is why I kept asking the question. Perhaps too many times, in too many different ways. (I know, suddenly I’m pretending to be Woodward and Bernstein backstage at the Emmys. But hey, why not try?) Soon, it became a bit of a game, as we were in a “Who’s on First”/Abbott and Costello-style dance. It was a lively back-and-forth, but there was no actual confirmation either way. And I’ve come to realize that perhaps the star wasn’t so thrilled with me hogging the mic, trying to get an answer that he wasn’t ready to give. As others from the show chuckled to me later, “That was… fun?” (I noticeably haven’t been asked to moderate a “Ted Lasso” panel since then. Which is fine. I still love the show. No hard feelings.)
But here we are, nearly a year later… and we still don’t have a firm answer on the fate of “Ted Lasso.” I mean, we sort of do. That Season 3 finale was titled “So Long, Farewell,” and it sure seemed to wrap up the series’ story. That pretty much confirmed something the stars and even Sudeikis had been saying for the past year: That this was a three-season tale they were telling, and that story had reached its conclusion.
But the parsing of words — that “Ted Lasso” didn’t necessarily end, only this particular “story” did — kept us all guessing. Even now, months after the finale, we’re debating whether it should be called a “season finale” or “series finale.” Among this season’s major Emmy nominees, we definitely know that “Better Call Saul,” “Succession,” “Barry” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” have all ended their runs. Those shows were announced as final seasons, and got the send-offs they wanted with their final episodes. So why keep it so murky with “Ted Lasso”? Even if there are eventual plans to bring back “Ted Lasso” with a new story or a new character focus, that would be considered a revival (in the same vein of many shows that have come back, even with the same stars, like “And Just Like That” or the upcoming “Frasier” return).
Clarity on whether this was it for “Ted Lasso” would only benefit the show’s Emmy chances. If you’re telling voters they won’t have any more opportunities beyond this year to award Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein or the rest of the cast for “Ted Lasso,” that might be enough to push them to do so.
only Jason Sudeikis knows for sure when and how the status of “Ted Lasso” will be announced — or if it ever will be. Perhaps he’s taking a page from Larry David, who has never proclaimed the end of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” keeping the door open just a crack for a return engagement (which he eventually did). Maybe we’ll have to wait until after the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes to get a firm idea of what comes next. Or perhaps… I’ll have to ask again, backstage, at the Primetime Emmys, whenever it eventually takes place. (January 15? A long time to wait!) And if I didn’t burn my bridges last time, maybe this time I’ll get an answer.
