Ted Lasso Season 3 Makes West Ham Into A Good Team, But They're Terrible In Real Life

TV timing is a funny thing. In the heyday of network TV, shows were cranked out quickly, and popular sitcoms with speedy production schedules like "Seinfeld" got the chance to comment on current events within a matter of days or weeks. If a pop culture reference on prime-time didn't feel current, it at least arrived just slightly late to the water cooler. But in the era of streaming, TV production has changed. Seasons of streaming shows are made all at once, often across many months, for an eventual airdate that comes long after their scripts were written.

This change may not be an obvious one for most viewers, but every now and again, it leads to a glaring discrepancy, like a reference to a recently-passed celebrity, or an out-of-date political reaction. Most recently, that unlucky sense of irony has come for "Ted Lasso," the Emmy-winning sitcom and crowning jewel of Apple TV+. Because "Ted Lasso" season three looks like it's shaping up to be a showdown between Ted's (Jason Sudeikis) fictional team, AFC Richmond, and their competitive rivals, West Ham United. Only, West Ham is a real team, and they're not doing so hot these days.

Viewers haven't seen too much of the actual West Ham team in "Ted Lasso" yet, but their fictional management has had plenty of screen time. This is, after all, the team that Rebecca's (Hannah Waddington) ex-husband Rupert (Anthony Head) bought after the pair's acrimonious divorce. It's also where Nate (Nick Mohammed), Richmond's former kit man turned assistant coach, ended up at the end of last season after going full villain mode. The new season of "Ted Lasso" spends plenty of time at both teams' headquarters, indicating that it may be headed for a big showdown between the two.