Ted Lasso: What happened in the last episode? Ending and character fates, explained

The Ted Lasso season 3 finale ("So Long, Farewell") wrapped up the AFC Richmond saga with a bear hug. Loads of feelings, a couple of cheeky winks, and that same hopeful vibe the show has been peddling since day one. If you caught it on Apple TV+ when it dropped on May 31, 2023, you probably needed a tissue or three.

Ted Lasso turned into one of those rare shows that somehow got everybody talking. How many comedies actually make you cry and believe in humanity again? Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt, and Bill Lawrence created this whole American doofus gets dropped into English footy chaos thing, and it should have been a disaster. Rebecca was literally trying to tank her own team!

Instead, Ted and his relentless, almost annoying positivity just infected everyone. People who don’t even like sports started caring about AFC Richmond.

Over the three seasons, the chatter online and in the critics' columns kept circling back to the show’s refusal to go dark and edgy like everything else. Ted Lasso doubled down on kindness and empathy and called out toxic masculinity, which TV needed. They even got people talking about mental health and teamwork.

By the time the last episodes rolled around, everyone had something to say about how it all ended. People picked apart every character’s goodbye, every callback, every little open-ended moment. The finale left just enough up in the air for people to keep arguing online, maybe forever.

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The final episode of Ted Lasso season 3: A narrative retrospective

"So Long, Farewell" kicks off with AFC Richmond gearing up to face West Ham in a match that’s their shot at the Premier League title. But it is way more than just a soccer game as there’s a tangled mess of old grudges, friendships on the line, and everyone’s personal baggage finally coming to a head. It’s not just about who scores the most goals; it’s about wrapping up years of drama and figuring out where everyone lands when the whistle blows.

The big drama in this episode is all about Ted Lasso packing his bags and heading back to Kansas. He’s finally chosen his kid, Henry, over his job, which hits different if you’ve ever had to choose between career and family. You can really see how much Ted’s changed. He spent all this time bending over backwards for everyone else, but now he’s finally doing something for himself.

Rebecca Welton started out butting heads with Ted, but now they’re ride-or-die. So when Ted drops the bomb that he’s leaving, she’s wrecked. Still, she picks herself up, dusts off, and ends up doing something kinda huge—she sells off 49% of Richmond shares, letting the fans buy in. It feels like she’s building more than just a football club—she’s handing the keys to the whole community, making sure it’ll last way past her, Ted, or anyone else.

Meanwhile, Richmond’s final game against West Ham is madness. They go into halftime down, but then there’s this killer moment in the locker room. The guys pull out scraps of the old “Believe” sign; turns out they’d each kept a piece. They slap it back together, get all fired up, and storm out for this insane comeback. And they win the match.

But they still lose the league title because of other teams’ results. Still, the real win is that the squad’s tighter than ever.

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Ending explained: Character fates and thematic closures

Ted Lasso

So Ted Lasso heads home to the States after the season wraps up, and you can tell he is just... lighter. He finally puts his kid—Henry—front and center, and you see it. That last shot is Ted on the sidelines, coaching Henry’s little soccer team. It’s kinda perfect. And then he hits the camera with that classic Ted smile.

And no, he doesn’t run off into the sunset with Michelle. Some people were rooting for that, but the show totally leaves it hanging. No big romantic reunion, just Ted being Dad. Some fans got salty about the wishy-washy ending, but it feels real. Life is messy, and that’s just how it goes.

Rebecca Welton

So, Rebecca can’t talk Ted into sticking around. Instead, she sells almost half of AFC Richmond to the fans. Suddenly, she’s not just the boss, she’s the town’s sweetheart. Wild how she goes from plotting revenge as Rupert’s ex to the patron saint of Richmond.

And she bumps into that mysterious Dutch guy from Amsterdam again (the one everyone was rooting for). Ted Lasso teases us with a maybe-romance, but doesn’t spell it out. They love that low-key, leave-you-wondering kind of ending. Guess we’re supposed to fill in the blanks.

Coach Beard

Beard is all set to tag along with Ted Lasso back to the States. But he pulls a fast one, ditches the plan at the last second, and sticks around in England because Jane has got him hooked. For once, he’s not just Ted’s right-hand guy; he’s actually chasing his own thing. And then, the episode closes out at Beard’s wedding. The whole crew is there, faces you know and love, probably some tears, and definitely some questionable dance moves.

Jamie Tartt

Jamie’s glow-up is off the charts. He goes from being the poster child for ego to actually patching things up with his dad and, wild as it sounds, actually bonding with Roy Kent and the rest of the crew.

Roy Kent

Roy gets bumped up to Richmond’s head coach. The guy who used to barely tolerate being captain now ends up running the whole circus. In the end, you see him actually sitting in therapy, which is huge for him. Feels like he’s finally working on himself, not just yapping orders.

Nate Shelley

After that messy exit last season, Nate kind of slinks back to Richmond. He goes from big shot to assistant kit man. The team and coaches don’t just leave him hanging, though. Eventually, they pull him back in and give him another shot as assistant coach. The apology to Ted is awkward, but Ted, being Ted, just lets it roll off his back.

The team and supporting cast

Handing over 40% of the club to the fans is a move straight outta left field. It’s like the show tipping its hat to all those community-focused teams out there. It’s not just about the money; it’s about the fact that this club actually belongs to the people.

Trent, who used to roll his eyes at everything, hands Ted and Beard his draft of The Lasso Way. He’s making sure their weird, wonderful way of thinking doesn’t just fade into some dusty trophy case.

Some reviewers, such as those at Time Magazine, weren’t exactly thrilled with how the show wraps things up. They were salty about all the ambiguity, especially when it comes to Ted and Michelle, and pretty much anyone else who’s left dangling in the “what now?” department.

But then, you’ve got a whole other camp (Reddit threads, for example) saying that messiness is totally on brand for the show. As one Redditor notes:

"Throughout the entire series, all Ted truly wanted was his son. At the end of the show, he puts the wants of the team, his friends, and us (the viewers) to the side and chooses himself. We see him finally put his wants/needs first."

So, long story short, Life is not some gift-wrapped package, and the Ted Lasso season 3 ending just dives into the mess, and that’s exactly what a ton of fans are eating up.