Why Ted Lasso Season 2 Has To Be Longer Than Originally Planned

Jason Sudeikis is Ted Lasso

Ted Lasso is pure joy. What if I told you that when it returns for its sophomore season, you will get even more joy? That’d probably make you feel pretty joyous, no? That’s the latest reports regarding the status of AppleTV+’s winning comedy, which currently is filming episodes for its follow-up season. And co-star Juno Temple, who plays supportive soccer girlfriend Keeley Jones, let the cat out of the bag that season two of Ted Lasso will be two episodes longer.

Temple was speaking with Collider to promote her upcoming movie Palmer, starring Justin Timberlake, and gave a quick update regarding how the production was moving along in light of COVID and its restrictions. On the length of the season, Juno Temple reported:

Well we've joyously been picked up for a few extra episodes this season. So it's a longer shoot due to actually shooting more.

Even she refers to the show as “joyously,” so it proves that the mood set by leading man Jason Sudeikis is infectious. The original Ted Lasso season on AppleTV+ ran for 10 episodes, and told the story of a ferociously optimistic coach (Sudeikis) who crosses the pond from the U.S. to the UK to accept a gig coaching a professional soccer team… despite the fact that he knows nothing about the sport.

Jason Sudeikis’ Ted Lasso is an enormously loveable and heartwarming character, but he also has some complicated layers to him, including a wife who has divorced him and a case of anxiety that sometimes wipes him out in social situations. This allows for more character development than what you might get in a traditional sitcom, and Ted Lasso proves it by delivering a full roster of supporting characters and talents that audiences quickly grew to love as much as they did Ted.

Now next season, you will have even more time to spend with the cast, as season two will run for 12 episodes instead of the previous 10. That explains why the shoot is taking longer, according to Juno Temple. Because they have more episodes that they need to film.

Where might the longer season go? While there weren’t major cliffhangers at the end of Ted Lasso season one, the team was relegated out of the main competition standings, and will now have to fight their way back into the top league in order to contend for a title. But that’s an uphill climb, and there’s still a rivalry between Ted’s existing team and the young punk superstar, Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster), who they let go.

No word yet on when Ted Lasso will return to AppleTV+ but you can guarantee that we will be front and center the moment that the new season drops. If you haven’t yet seen Ted Lasso, do catch up on it. It’s as delightful as you have heard.

Sean O'Connell
Managing Editor

Sean O’Connell is a journalist and CinemaBlend’s Managing Editor. Having been with the site since 2011, Sean interviewed myriad directors, actors and producers, and created ReelBlend, which he proudly cohosts with Jake Hamilton and Kevin McCarthy. And he's the author of RELEASE THE SNYDER CUT, the Spider-Man history book WITH GREAT POWER, and an upcoming book about Bruce Willis.