Ted Lasso Star Reveals What It Would Take for a Spinoff to Happen
Hannah Waddingham only wants to do a spinoff if Ted is involved.
The only way we're likely to see Hannah Waddingham return to the role of Rebecca Welton, is if Jason Sudeikis brings Ted Lasso back. That's what Waddingham has to say when asked about the odds of a spinoff for Rebecca, who she says doesn't really exist without Ted. The Star Wars and Wednesday veteran isn't interested in checking back in with Rebecca unless there's a compelling reason to do it, and at this point, she sees the relationship between Rebecca and Ted as the thing that motivate it.
The comments come as a number of Waddingham's Ted Lasso co-stars popped up on Apple TV+'s Home for Christmas with her. For now, she says, that's as close as fans are getting to any kind of reunion.
"Everyone keeps asking this, but no, there's been no word of a spinoff at all, 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 other's inspiration," Waddingham told The Hollywood Reporter.
Waddingham also discussed the platonic love between her character and Ted Lasso, saying that she actually thinks there is something more special to that dynamic because they did not end up as a couple.
"It possibly has far more longevity," Waddingham said. "They are out-and-out soulmates and just because that doesn't then go to the bedroom, does that make it less? I don't believe so, and I know Jason doesn't."
By the end of the series, which wrapped after three seasons back in May, some characters are more cleanly resolved than others, with Rebecca rebooting her love life and Keeley (Juno Temple) getting her PR film back up and running with Barbara (Katy Wix).
Still, two of those three characters laid the groundwork for a potential spinoff in the final moments of the show, with Keeley pitching Rebecca on the idea of a women's team for AFC Richmond. Rebecca seems fairly open to the idea, which suggests an open door to follow up on the world of Ted Lasso without having to undo anyone's happy ending in order to do so. A women's team would let Rebecca and Keeley continue their stories -- which ended on new beginnings rather than totally clean endings -- while presumably allowing space for other fan-favorite characters to duck in and out of the series as scheduling permits.