Ted Lasso's origins actually go back to a series of 2013 commercials for NBC Sports where Jason Sudeikis would promote the network's Premier League coverage as his character, a lovable American who didn't quite know what he was talking about. Sudeikis revealed in an interview that it wasn't even his idea to jump Lasso from the comedy bits to a television series. In fact, the suggestion came from Sudeikis' then-partner, fellow filmmaker Olivia Wilde. Sudeikis was shockingly not immediately supportive of the shift from commercial to series.
"After doing the second video, it really unlocked elements of the character that we found very, very fun to write and portray and view the world through. So, one day in 2015, my partner Olivia [Wilde] came up to me one day and said, 'You know, you should do Ted Lasso as a show,' and I said, 'I don't know,' but then after marinating on it, I thought maybe this could happen," Sudeikis told Sports Illustrated in August 2020.
Lasso got his retirement jersey 10 years after his creation, as Sudeikis revealed "Ted Lasso" Season 3 will mark the end of the series. However, Lasso fans still have hope of seeing the character again, as Sudeikis confirmed that there is a chance for spinoffs.
