Ted Lasso season 2: release date, cast, and everything we know ted lasso season 2 release date

Ted Lasso season 2 is in the works right now. Not only was this heartwarming sports-themed comedy given the greenlight for a second season, but the surprise smash hit Apple TV Plus original has also been renewed for season 3 – and that’s all before Lasso’s team at AFC Richmond have even kicked off in English football’s second tier, which is where they’ll find themselves next season.

Ted Lasso turned out to be a massive hit, drawing in 25% new viewers to Apple’s relatively new streaming service, according to THR. It’s also proved to be an awards contender, with the show nominated for two Golden Globes in 2021, winning one for Jason Sudeikis’ winning performance as Lasso. 

That’s probably because the big-hearted show about a clueless American coach managing an English soccer team is really only partly about football. Ted Lasso’s first season focused on the dysfunctional relationships of its nuanced, funny characters, and there’s plenty for actual soccer fans to enjoy, without the show leaning too heavily on lazy Anglo-American culture clash jokes.

Still, AFC Richmond are in for a tumultuous season next year – on the pitch, anyway. In a more general sense, we’re expecting more cosy character moments from Ted Lasso season 2, alongside what’ll hopefully be an uplifting comeback story for the team. 

With spoilers for the first season throughout, below we’ll explain everything we know about Ted Lasso season 2 so far, including its release date, cast and how many episodes we’re going to see next time. 

Ted Lasso season 2 release date: summer 2021?

We do know that Ted Lasso season 2 – itself renewed only five days after the season 1 premiere – will run for 12 episodes this time, but we’re not sure exactly when yet. A now-deleted tweet from Apple TV on February 19 said that Ted Lasso season 2 will return in ‘summer 2021’ (so between June-August 2021), but Apple’s own PR materials don’t mention this date as it stands. 

The deletion of the tweet possibly suggests the release date was revealed a little too early.

We think this timeframe makes sense, though. Apple announced that production began in January 2021, along with a new image of Lasso, flanked by the idiosyncratic Coach Beard, and newly-promoted Coach Nate. Since the first season launched in August 2020, summer was really the earliest we were hoping for with season 2. 

Of course, the continuing Covid-19 crisis could delay that, but filming is allowed in London subject to UK government guidelines, despite England’s current national lockdown.

Ted Lasso season 2 will be 12 episodes long this time

As confirmed by Collider and mentioned above, season 2 of Ted Lasso will be longer than season 1 – Apple TV Plus picked the show up for 12 episodes instead of 10 this time, simply for story-based reasons. So, you’ll get a little more of Ted in your life for season 2.

Ted Lasso season 2 story: life in the lower leagues

While we don’t know much about Ted Lasso season 2’s story yet, we have a good idea of where it’ll go. Of course, the headline for Richmond F.C. is that they’ve been relegated from the Premier League to the Championship, courtesy of a last-minute winner from Jamie Tartt’s Manchester City. 

The football side of Ted Lasso will likely be preoccupied with adjusting to the new level, then, but given the proposed three-season arc, we predict an immediate return to English football’s top tier, with Richmond battling for the Premier League title in season 3. Well, strange things can happen in football.

But while Tartt’s loan spell was terminated in season 1, Lasso’s unique coaching methods and emphasis on teamwork clearly won Jamie over. Perhaps Tartt will turn his back on his abusive father for good and help Richmond on the way to a Premier League return.

Of course, Ted Lasso is more about the players, staff, and their families than it is the football. We’ll also see Rebecca’s continued feud with her ex-husband (Anthony Head), Roy adjusting to life out of the first team, and with Keeley, and Ted’s struggles with his divorce and distance from his family.

Ted Lasso season 2 cast: getting the squad back together

Besides the tweet above confirming the return of Jeremy Swift’s shy Director of Football, Higgins, we don’t have any official confirmation of the cast members who’ll be reprising their roles for Ted Lasso season 2. Of course there’s no Ted Lasso without the man himself (Jason Sudeikis): Lasso was pictured next to Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt) and Coach Nate (Nick Mohammed) in Apple’s season 2 production announcement tweet, so we know they’re back, at least.

We’ll see plenty of other familiar faces, such as chairman Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham), and Keeley Jones (Juno Temple). Brett Goldstein’s legendarily grumpy Roy Kent may be out of the first team, but expect to see him adapting to retired life. And Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster) may have returned to Manchester City, but the door has certainly been left open for the star to rescue Richmond.

Teams tend to change significantly when they drop divisions, especially from the Premier League to the Championship, so there’s a sensible opportunity for co-creator Bill Lawrence to sign some new players for Richmond. 

We’ll have to wait and see on that front, but behind the scenes of the club, we know about at least one new addition. In March 2021, it was confirmed on Deadline that actress Sarah Niles joined Ted Lasso season 2 as Sharon, a sports psychologist working with AFC Richmond. 

Will there be more than three seasons of Ted Lasso?

We certainly hope so. But while the early season 3 renewal is cause for celebration, it’s worth knowing that this may be all we get. Interviewed on the Fake Doctors, Real Friends podcast about his old show Scrubs, co-creator Lawrence warned that “Ted Lasso is a three-season show” owing to Jason Sudeikis’ busy life and young family. That said, if seasons 2 and 3 are as important to Apple TV Plus’ offering as the first has proved to be, that could surely change.