Whether you are already familiar with Ted Lasso and looking forward to catching up with the new season or wondering what all the fuss is about, there are several ways you can enjoy the Emmy award-winning comedy about Richmond AFC's finest and their professional fish-out-of-water football manager.
The first episode of Ted Lasso season three launched on Apple TV+ today at 4am UK time. Additional episodes are set to be released weekly with fans able to look forward to 12 long-length episodes this season - which might ease the pain of knowing, for now, the shows creators have hinted it will be the last.
Anticipation for the latest episodes is particularly high. The show currently has a 'certified fresh' rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with 94% of viewers approving of its return.
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While Ted Lasso is more popular than ever - with the team playable in FIFA 23, Nike launching fully branded Richmond kits (although frustratingly only available to US fans right now) and a host of Funko merchandise now available including a Loungefly Believe backpack - the jewel in Apple TV+ 's crown started from humble beginnings.
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In 2013, then-Saturday Night Live star Jason Sudeikis made a series of TV adverts for US channel NBC Sports promoting the fact they had acquired the rights to show games from the UK Premier League. It was, as you'd imagine, a lot of jokes about differences between English and American language and the confusing nature of the offside rule.
The Ted Lasso series takes this initial premise and runs with it in hilarious fashion. Ted is recruited as manager of London's AFC Richmond with club chairwoman Rebecca Welton deliberately setting him up to fail, hoping he will inadvertently destroy the club she got in her divorce from her cheating ex-husband.
On paper it sounds predictable and possibly a bit dated, but the team behind it have come up with something that's funny and surprisingly sweet in a way that won't make you feel sick. You've never seen a TV show both so utterly sweary and incredibly wholesome at the same time, but it is worthy of the accolades and perfect for binge watching.
What's more, as its popularity has built its stellar cast has been joined by a host of footballing big name cameos and in-jokes for fans including a particular highlight when former AFC Richmond hard-man Roy Kent - who might be a bit John Terry-esque if you squint - does a stint on Sky's Soccer Saturday. Jeff Stelling and Chris Kamara have never seen anything quite like it.
Season three sees the club's fortunes improve with them getting a chance to play in the Premier League and - while we're keeping this resolutely spoiler free - if the first episode is anything to go by fans should be happy at the show's return.
Beloved cast members including Jason Sudeikis in the lead, co-producers Brendan Hunt (Beard) and Brett Goldstein (Roy Kent) and Juno Temple as Keeley and Hannah Waddingham as club boss Rebecca are all back and this time they've got even more to prove.
But with Apple TV+ still not making massive gains in the saturated UK TV and streaming services market, lots of viewers don't really know if it's worth getting, or even if it's possible to watch it without doing so on a Mac, iPad or other piece of Apple gadgetry.
How to watch Ted Lasso on Apple TV+ for free
Apple TV+ is currently available on two kind so free trials with the up-and-coming streaming service.
You can either get a week's free trial by signing up to its standalone service or you can get a full month by signing up to Apple One - a service which bundles up Apple News, Fitness, iCloud Storage, TV and Arcade services for one price.
Just make sure that you set a reminder to cancel at the end of the free trial or you'll be charged £6.99 a month for TV on its own or £16.95 for Apple One.
If you buy a new iPhone or other Apple device, whether as a new phone contract from a provider like Sky or EE you will also be offered three months' free access as part of the set up process.
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This is not just the case for products that come with contracts - you could buy a new iPad from Very, John Lewis, Amazon or other retailers and still get the freebie.
What is Apple TV+ -and do I need an Apple device to watch it?
Arguably the biggest confusion for consumers in branding their new streaming service so bluntly with the Apple name is that a lot of people assume it can only watched on an iPad, iPhone or Mac.
This isn't true. Apple TV+ is available on an ever-growing list of smart TVs including Samsung, Sony and LG models as well as on the Amazon firestick, Playstation and XBox platforms although a long-awaited integration to the Sky Q box is still pending.
If you do buy an Apple branded product you will often get a free trial. This currently stands at three months of Apple TV+ bundled with your purchase, so if you're tempted to take up Sky's deal for more than £400 off the cost of the new yellow iPhone 14 Pro that launched this week you can be streaming TV as soon as your new phone is delivered.
How much is Apple TV+ and is it worth it?
Apple TV+ comes in at £6.99 a month currently, which makes it cheaper than Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Netflix. You can also get a free seven day trial so if you're not sure there's enough content there to make it worth your while, you could always get the week, binge watch the best bits and then cancel.
What's good on Apple TV+?
Apple TV+ may not have made as much content yet as some of the other streaming services, but many of the things they've released so far definitely fall into the category of must-see TV and are worth trying if you do end up with the service.
Alongside Ted Lasso, high-profile and popular shows worthy of catching up with include dystopian mystery dramedy Severance, The Afterparty which is a genre-busting mystery show starring Parks and Rec's Ben Schwartz and Stath Lets Flats' Jamie Demetriou, epic space race sci-fi For All Mankind and The Morning Show - a look at network breakfast TV which is both funny and thought-provoking, starring Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and Steve Carrell.
Apple TV+ also famously was the first streaming platform to win a Best Picture Oscar, with its film CODA.
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