Here at NerdBot, we love a good fan theory, and we love it even more when it turns out to be correct. Writer and star of the Emmy-winning series “Ted Lasso” Brett Goldstein has confirmed it’s inspired by L. Frank Baum‘s classic “The Wizard of Oz.”
“Oh yeah, there’s loads and loads of The Wizard of Oz in Ted Lasso,” Goldstein said when asked if the show is a retelling. “The pinball machine is the one that’s always ‘Ted has to go home. There’s no place like home.’ And then, there’s no place like Richmond F.C. Yes, that’s all Wizard of Oz.”
Fans have been theorizing that this is the case since “Ted Lasso” hit the air in 2020. Picking up on breadcrumbs like the pinball machine mentioned above, Roy Kent’s tie-dye yellow brick road-esque shirt, Ted’s red sneakers, and home state being Kansas.
The Oz in “Ted Lasso”
But the inspiration doesn’t end at visual clues. Goldstein explained each character in “Ted Lasso” is based on “The Wizard of Oz.” “I’m the Tin Man,” he says of Roy Kent. “Ted is Dorothy, Rebecca’s the Lion, and the Scarecrow is Jamie.”
“I’m sure this is going to cause a lot of trouble,” Goldstein adds with a grin.
A Return To Oz?
The series ended in 2023 with its third and final season. Jason Sudeikis, who plays the titular character, believes there may be more to come. Just without his character at the center. It’s assumed it would follow Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham), Jamie (Phil Dunster), Roy, and others in Richmond F.C. after Ted’s departure.
“I mean, it’s definitively the last season of this story, that I can say,” Sudeikis said previously. “Everything else, you know, there’s lots of variables with all that stuff, but the first and foremost is the stories, the characters.”
Fans are still holding out hope that there is more to come. But no fourth season of “Ted Lasso” nor a spin-off is confirmed at this time. All three seasons of the series are currently streaming on Apple TV+.
