Ted Lasso season 3 has been confirmed by Apple TV Plus, before season 2 has even released on the streaming service. That's because the show – a comedy about an American coach who joins an English soccer team and gets in over his head – is breaking audience records for Apple TV Plus.
That's according to a report from THR, which says the show has brought 25% new viewers to the Apple TV Plus platform, and that it's grown its audience by 600% since launching back in August.
That sounds like a genuine hit. And it's a little surprising, even with its popularity among critics – Ted Lasso, which starts Jason Sudeikis and a cast of mostly British actors, has drawn acclaim for being both funny and heartwarming. One of the executive producers and writers behind the show is Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence, which sort of makes sense if you've seen both series.
You don't need to care about soccer to enjoy it, we should point out, because its lead character doesn't understand the sport either.
Ted Lasso season 2 begins filming in January, presumably for a 2021 release.
Why is Ted Lasso catching on?
The number of genuinely great comedies around right now on the streaming service is thin on the ground – this year had a big swing-and-a-miss from Space Force on Netflix. Amazon Prime's Upload, at least, was tons better.
Apple, meanwhile, has had two of the best all year in Ted Lasso and Mythic Quest: Raven's Banquet. It's possible that Apple's strategy of teaming up with big names in the field is paying off for them – while Ted Lasso has the credibility of Lawrence behind it and a big star in Sudeikis, Mythic Quest came from Rob McElhenney and Charlie Day, two of the brains behind It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
Maybe comedy is one area where Apple could thrive without much great competition. Is Apple TV Plus secretly one of the best streaming services? It's slowly getting there.
