‘Ted Lasso’ Has Only Changed 2 of Its Plans for Characters Since It Started, Bill Lawrence Says
The creators of Ted Lasso often talk about their three season plan for the story. That three season plan has come into sharper focus as the show approaches its third season. Fans hope it won’t actually be final. Co-creator and showrunner Bill Lawrence said they have adapted two of their three season arcs, so there is precedent for changing their minds.
[Spoiler alert: This article contains spoilers for Ted Lasso‘s first two seasons.]
Lawrence was a guest on The Hollywood Reporter’s TV’s Top Five podcast on Oct. 8. He revealed which two storylines have changed since the writers created their three year plan. Ted Lasso Season 3 returns summer 2022 on Apple TV+.
The reason ‘Ted Lasso’ changed 2 plans for its story
It’s one thing to have a plan for a show. It’s quite another to see actors breathe those plans into life. Lawrence said the cast of Ted Lasso showed them things they decided to pursue further.
“I will say we’ve changed, maybe out of the 50 things we knew we were doing, we literally have only changed one or two of them so far,” Lawrence said. “We changed them because of what was working and what people were leaning into.”
‘Ted Lasso’ wrote more of Keeley and Rebecca together because of Juno Temple and Hannah Waddingham
Lawrence said one of the gifts they stumbled into was the friendship between Keeley (Juno Temple) and Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham). They did plan to connect those characters, but made it a much bigger story when they saw the magic happening.
“It was really imperative from the start that we built a female friendship that wasn’t revolving around who you’re dating and who you’re dating and that our boyfriends are friends so we should be friends,” Lawrence said. “It was part of the design of the show at the start. We would not have leaned into it as hard as we did if we hadn’t seen that immediate not only comedic chemistry but emotional depth and love to their relationship.”
With Keeley starting her own PR firm, Lawrence said Ted Lasso Season 3 will test Keeley and Rebecca’s friendship.
“Without divulging anything, I think one of the fun things to see is can you hold onto a friendship that tight?” Lawrence said. “Does it become different? Are you clinging to something that’s impossible to recreate because you’re not in the same place? Does whatever your journey happen to be take you back to each other? It gets exciting all the little weird paths you can take as long as you know you’re still getting to that endpoint.”
Roy and Keeley have altered the plan
Keeley’s relationship with Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) has also been a fan favorite. Keeley was dating Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster) when Ted Lasso began. After they broke up, she reconnected with Roy. Keeley has been vital to Roy in season 2 as he tries to figure out what he’s going to do after his playing days are over.
The season 2 finale left Royley fans worried. Roy bought tickets for a six week vacation, but now Keeley is the one who is too busy with work to go with him. She encourages him to go without her but that sounds like a breakup to Roy. Even though she says it’s not, Roy’s worries aren’t unfounded. Lawrence said Roy and Keeley may already be in uncharted territory.
“Without giving anything away, it has veered occasionally off the course of what we had planned, when I said there are a couple things that had been slightly different,” Lawrence said.
Source: TV’s Top Five podcast
