Jason Sudeikis is blaming the fans for the backlash season three of Ted Lasso has received.
While addressing complaints about the season, the star and co-creator of the Apple TV+ series said that those people who bemoan how it was written ‘clearly don’t understand’ the vision.
In an excerpt of journalist Jeremy Egner’s new book, Believe: The Untold Story Behind Ted Lasso, the Show That Kicked Its Way Into Our Hearts, which was obtained by TVLine, Sudeikis, 49, offered his own perspective and said some viewers lost track of the point because they were not being ‘an active participant’ of the show.
And in response to the mixed reviews about the characters and their story arcs in the sports comedy drama, he said he firmly believes they were left in a better place than in the beginning.
The actor — who recently reunited with his ex, Olivia Wilde, four years after calling off their engagement — also slammed the critics, adding that they ‘don’t have imaginations and they’re not open to the experience of what it’s like to have one.’
Jason Sudeikis is blaming the fans for the backlash season three of Ted Lasso has received; pictured February in Los Angeles
In the book, Egner suggested that there was ‘a small but hostile crowd of dissenters’ who complained ‘how the core cast had been scattered into different storylines.’
He mentioned some comments that specifically say that Keeley and Nate’s respective storylines had become ‘too diffuse and unfocused.’
When asked about the divisive reactions, Sudeikis said: ‘Much like live theater, the show, especially Season 3, was asking the audience to be an active participant.
‘Some people want to do that, some people don’t,’ he continued.
‘Some people want to judge — they don’t want to be curious,’ he said, referring to Coach Lasso’s belief in the Walt Whitman quote: ‘Be curious, not judgmental.’
Then, he blamed those who ‘clearly don’t understand’ for not having an imagination or the curiosity to look deeper into the characters’ journeys.
‘I’ll never understand people who will go on talking about something so brazenly that they, in my opinion, clearly don’t understand. And God bless ’em for it; it’s not their fault,’ he said.
‘They don’t have imaginations and they’re not open to the experience of what it’s like to have one.’
While addressing complaints about the season, the star and co-creator of the Apple TV+ series said that those people who bemoan how it was written ‘clearly don’t understand’ the vision; pictured in Ted Lasso still
He offered his own perspective and said some viewers lost track of the point because they were not being ‘an active participant’ of the show; pictured from left to right: Jason Sudeikis, James Lance, Brendan Hunt, Brett Goldstein in Ted Lasso still
As for the complaints about the characters’ confusing storylines, he stated: ‘Everybody’s in better shape than when they started … and if you don’t see that in that show, then I don’t know what show you’re watching’; pictured March 2023 in Los Angeles
As for the complaints about the characters’ confusing storylines, he stated: ‘Everybody’s in better shape than when they started.’
He said he adamantly believes that ‘like a good Boy or Girl Scout at a campsite, we left it better than we found it.
‘And if you don’t see that in that show, then I don’t know what show you’re watching.’
It is unknown whether Ted Lasso will return with a fourth season, but it is reportedly moving in that direction, per a report from Deadline in August.
At the time, the outlet reported that season four was heading towards being greenlit for production as the series studio, Warner Bros. Television, picked up options for three core cast members — Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein and Jeremy Swift.
