Ted Lasso finale event canceled amid Hollywood writers strike and series end speculation

Apple TV+ will stream the season finale of Ted Lasso on May 31, and the episode could very well be the series finale as far as anyone knows. A special screening event and panel was planned for the day before the last episode dropped, but that event has now been canceled.

The Hollywood Reporter says that the official reason for its cancelation is unforeseen circumstances, but its sources blame the ongoing strike as real issue.

Sources tell THR that the strike played a central role in the decision as Ted himself, Sudeikis, co-created the series and, along with Hunt, serves as a writer as well. The Writers Guild of America has asked its members to not participate in press events that were organized by studios who are members of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. 

Instead, customers of the ticketed event at the Paley Center for Media are being refunded, and we’ll all miss out on a Q&A with the panel that would have included Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt.

Prior to season three premiering, Sudeikis expressed gratitude that interest in the show already extended beyond the then unreleased season. However, the actor has also been vocal about the fact that three seasons were originally intended for the show.

The most likely scenario, it seems, is that some version of Ted Lasso will branch out of the series. A spin-off that retains most of the same cast and tells a new story without Coach Lasso and Coach Beard is widely expected.

However, Apple has remained quite secretive about the fate of the series so far. The final episode of season three hasn’t officially been called a series finale so far, so it’s possible they’re holding out hope for the real Ted Lasso to return.

In the meantime, Apple is expected to launch Ted Lasso merch that it sells directly. You can already pick up some pretty sweet show merch from other retailers.