“You know what the happiest animal on earth is? It’s a goldfish. You know why? It’s got a 10-second memory.”

In the hit Apple TV+ original, Ted Lasso, this is just one of many lines that perfectly encapsulate the show’s lead, Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis).

In an often gloomy and ever-changing world, Ted Lasso has offered viewers an escape from the world at the beginning of the pandemic into a charming comedy series that somehow discussed difficult topics, like mental health struggles, while keeping the experience quite wholesome. In the much anticipated third season of the show, the same characters everyone loves, the banter between them, and the witty humor were all present–making for another escape from reality. While the first three episodes of this new season have been promising overall, the increasing cast size and the number of plotlines have made for a far more complicated season.

The third season understandably gets off to a slow start. Nearly two years passed between the release of the second and third seasons, so it took some time to shake off the cobwebs and refamiliarize fans with the characters they all love so much.

The majority of the first three episodes of season three are spent refamiliarizing the audience with the characters and setting up the plot lines for the rest of the season. While much of the first three episodes lay the groundwork for what is to come in the rest of the season, fan-favorite Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) maintains his same gruff humor and Ted continues to deliver his iconic jokes.

Though the show still has the same characters that viewers fell in love with in seasons one and two, there are new problems in this most recent season. The biggest new issue in the plot line of season three is that the setting bounces between three different workplaces: AFC Richmond, where the show gets its beginning, Richmond’s rival team–West Ham United–and Keeley’s (Juno Temple) PR firm are the different settings of season three. While featuring scenes at rival club West Ham veers from the central hub of the show, AFC Richmond, it still adds more conflict and suspense. However, having Keeley’s new workplace and workplace conflicts featured so heavily does not add anything to the show and just makes for longer episodes. So far this season, each episode has been 44 minutes or longer, so Keeley’s workplace plotlines could easily be cut to make for a more concise and approachable show.

At this point, the show is more about audiences watching characters they have come to love as much as it is about the plot and quality of the show, though it is still an excellent production, just not quite as good as seasons one and two. There is nothing wrong with season three being enjoyable just because of the wonderful characters. This season, the plotlines are still comforting whilst complex, and the characters and their struggles are all very relatable for viewers. While the show deals with heavier topics, like Ted’s divorce and mental health, it is refreshing to have a show that is still funny but not at the expense of others.

While it has not been officially confirmed by Apple that this is the final season of Ted Lasso, co-creator Sudeikis has said in the past that he sees the show as having a three-season trajectory. While the third season of Ted Lasso is still chasing the innovativeness and newness of the first season, season three is still an excellent and enjoyable show to watch.