Ted Lasso star reiterates there are 'no plans' for a spin-off of popular Apple TV Plus show
We'll just settle for repeat viewings, then...
If you've been holding out hope for more Ted Lasso, you're out of luck.
Indeed, after speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham has some disappointing news for you. None of the show's cast and crew talking about doing a spin-off show – and she believes that, without the polite, moustached titular character, there wouldn't be any point.
"Everyone keeps asking [about a spin-off] but no, there's been no word of a spin-off at all," Waddingham said during a press tour for her Apple TV Plus Christmas special. "And I have made it quite clear that unless Ted was in it... I can't imagine really a world where Rebecca exists without Ted because they are each others' inspiration."
It's not all bad news for fans of the feel-good soccer series, however. As we mentioned, Waddingham was being interviewed to discuss her new special Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas, and that's absolutely packed with stars, including many of her friends from one of the best Apple TV Plus shows of all-time.
Nick Mohammed, Brendan Hunt, Kola Bokinni, Billy Harris, James Lance, and Phil Dunster are all involved in the fun-filled festive singalong, while fellow stars Juno Temple, Brett Goldstein, and even Jason Sudeikis make cameos at various points. If you're searching for some heart-warming reunions post-Ted Lasso season 3, then, this is your best bet.
How did so many Ted Lasso stars end up in Hannah's Christmas special?
Waddingham was keen to show her co-stars in a different light and allow their comedy chops to shine in new ways. In short: Home For Christmas is halfway between a comedy special and a musical. "We were very keen on that because it’s that thing of trying to meld my two worlds together," Waddingham says. "So, it’s almost like SNL meets old-school Christmas big band."
For Waddingham, a big part of the appeal of doing a Christmas show is "there’s something about people at Christmas letting their guard down and letting in love that I love. It’s a time to be cozy."
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She's equally pleased that the show is diverse and inclusive too, adding: "I hope, more than anything, that the special is something that a little girl or a little boy of 4 years old will think, 'Oh, look at that juicy Christmas special', and love the music and love the silly, and then you’ve got the LGBTQ community loving it as well, and straight couples, but then grandparents. I really feel like there is genuinely something for everybody in it."
Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas, which is streaming now on Apple TV Plus, won't be for everyone. But hey, we're all missing the feel-good factor of multi-award winner Ted Lasso right now. And, with the holiday season kicking into gear, we could all use a warm (albeit virtual) hug from one of the most wholesome TV casts around on one of the world's best streaming services.
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Writer, broadcaster, musician and kitchen gadget obsessive Carrie Marshall has been writing about tech since 1998, contributing sage advice and odd opinions to all kinds of magazines and websites as well as writing more than a dozen books. Her memoir, Carrie Kills A Man, is on sale now and her next book, about pop music, is out in 2025. She is the singer in Glaswegian rock band Unquiet Mind.
- Tom PowerSenior Entertainment Reporter