A ray of sunshine breaks through the clouds as Apple TV+ announced yesterday thatTed Lassowill return for season three later this spring. The first look at season three shows Ted in his be-sweatered, be-mustached glory facing off against Nate, now the gaffer of West Ham while Rupert looks on in the background. That Rupert and Nate look like business casual Emperor Palpatine and Darth Vader is probably not a coincidence.

Season one ofTed Lassowas widely beloved, but season two was more divisive, in part because of Nate’s heel turn, but also somewhat people objecting to the May-December romance between team owner Rebecca and star player Sam Obisanya. But if you watch the two seasons together, which I have done in the interminable wait for season three, everything that happens at the end of season two is foreshadowed in season one. Sam pays Rebecca compliments that make her blush from the beginning, Nate demonstrates an emotional immaturity everyone overlooks in favor of his heartwarming rise to assistant coach, which comes back to bite everyone on the ass later. Season two is definitely the “Empire Strikes Back” season in that it is darker than season one and ends on a downbeat, but there is so much deliberate narrative structure to those two seasons, I cannot WAIT to see what season three delivers.

Especially since this is supposedly the final season ofTed Lasso. Co-creators Bill Lawrence, Jason Sudeikis, and Brendan Hunt (aka Coach Beard) have always said they mean this to be a three-act story (presumably modeled on the real life comeback story ofLeceister City’s 2015-2016 championship run). There’s a lot of pressure to stick the landing, then, since this is the last go-round (probably, watch them try to spin the show out without Sudeikis front and center). Last year it was reported there were significant behind-the-scenesdelays with the show, running the season behind schedule and over budget. Coincidentally, season three is the first season in which Sudeikis serves as a co-showrunner (alongside Brendan Hunt and Joe Kelly), filling in after Bill Lawrence went to run another show,Bad Monkey. I’m not saying the delays have anything to do with Sudeikis having increased control and say in writing and production, but I’m not NOT saying it, either. Word is, he got more than a little fanatical about getting season three “just right”.

The only thing I really care about in season three, though, is the look on Nate’s stupid f-cking face when he realizes the photo that he gave Ted for Christmas is on Ted’s desk at home, next to the photo of Ted’s son. Far from ignoring you, Nate, he put you in pride of place and you’re too up your own ass to realize it! I’ve said it before and I will say it again, NATE SUCKS. I actively hope they do not redeem him. Did Ted kind of ignore Nate in season two? Yeah. Is Ted responsible for Nate’s emotions? No. And Nate showed who he really is, a status-obsessed dillweed with no sense of loyalty. Jamie Tartt is probably going to complete his redemption arc in season three, but if Nate gets a redemption arc, it can happen in some other show I don’t watch. Because NATE SUCKS.