Ted Lasso’s time on the soccer field may be coming to an end. Jason Sudeikis has confirmed the comedy’s upcoming third season will bring the show’s current storyline to a close, though a decision has not yet been made about whether Ted Lasso will return for a fourth season.

“This is the end of this story that we wanted to tell, that we were hoping to tell, that we loved to tell,”  the star told Deadline. “The fact that folks will want more and are curious beyond more than what they don’t even know yet—that being Season 3—it’s flattering. Maybe by May 31, once all 12 episodes of the season [have been released], they’re like, ‘Man, you know what, we get it, we’re fine. We don’t need anymore, we got it.’”

Sudeikis's costar Hannah Waddingham echoed his sentiments at the Apple TV+ series’ season three premiere in Los Angeles on Tuesday. “It is the end of this particular story thread,” said the actress, who earned an Emmy in 2021 for her performance as formidable team owner, Rebecca Welton. “You’ll know why once you see it.”

“I genuinely have no idea what’s next,” Waddingham continued. “I’m not sure Jason even knows what he wants to do, but I’d love to see a spin-off series with Keeley [Juno Temple], Rebecca, and Higgins [Jeremy Swift]. There are so many characters that are beloved that it would be reasonable for them to do a spin-off. We will have to wait and find out.”

Swift, though, knows it would be difficult to develop a spin-off series capable of standing on its own. “I value the fact that if there will only be three seasons, and that’s it, it’s top-quality,” he told Vanity Fair on the red carpet. “I’m sure stuff could be spun out, but I think people will always want what they know. How often do spin-offs work, you know?”

In the meantime, season three kicks off on March 15. “I would say leaving well is a theme this season. You often leave jobs and relationships in certain ways, and I definitely think that’s a theme that comes in season three,” said Ted Lasso writer-actor Keeley Hazell. “Or even the idea of leaving badly—so the theme in some way relates to leaving well or how you leave. I can’t say more, but season three also follows characters in a way that we haven’t seen in any of the two previous seasons. We are focusing on other characters that we haven’t gotten to follow as much.”

AFC Richmond left-winger Colin Hughes, played by actor Billy Harris, is one of those characters. His personal life off the field is a major story line. “We only see one side the majority of the time with athletes—seeing them performing, and really, they are human beings at the end of the day. Ted Lasso approaches that in so many different ways, especially with love,” said Harris. “Ted Lasso shows the different aspects of love between teammates, between family, and between romantic relationships outside the world of football. Colin’s journey is just another example of it.”

The relationship between Rebecca and Sam Obisanya, the player portrayed by Toheeb Jimoh, is another focus. Though they split at the end of last season, Jimoh is cheering for the couple to reunite. “Whenever you have two people and they really care about each other, and their intention for the other person is to make them a better version of themselves, you have to keep people like that around you in whatever capacity,” said the Emmy nominee. “So that’s why I am rooting for Sam and Rebecca.”

Season three introduces a new star player as well: Zava, played by Maximilian Osinski. “My character is a showman on the field and has a big ego, and then he’s a man who is very focused and zen-like in the locker room,” the actor said. “Actually, a lot of these players are like that. They look inward and meditate and think about what they want to achieve. When they are on the field, the teammates love that and feed off their energy.”

The endearing Leslie Higgins, meanwhile, stays up to his same old tricks this year. “He’s not going to have an affair or get addicted to crystal meth. He’s the stable character that others rely on,” said Swift. “He still has this folksy wisdom and makes good choices and sort of becomes the father figure in the show. And there’s a lot of love between Higgins and Rebecca that has developed, which is really sweet. There are still great comic moments between them that the audience will see. It was such a laugh to do. All three seasons have been a laugh.”