‘Ted Lasso’: After Fans Drag Nate, Nick Mohammed Defends Character Choices

Nate the Great is going to need a new nickname after that shocking Ted Lasso finale. Maybe Nate the Hater? Hopefully the brilliant minds of Ted Lasso come up with something better before Season 3 comes out. Amidst fans dragging Nate (Nick Mohammed) all over social media, Mohammed has made a statement on his character’s downward spiral in the show. Spoilers ahead for folks who haven’t seen the Ted Lasso Season 2 finale! 

On the whole, Nate has been on a downward trajectory for the entirety of the sophomore season of the Apple TV+ series. He began by bashing his replacement, Will, spiraling completely out of control, and eventually revealing Ted’s (Jason Sudeikis) darkest secret to Independent reporter Trent Crimm (James Lance). But, as Mohammed writes, the negative attitude has been a part of his character since Season 1.

“The roast from season 1 is fun and taken in good spirits, but you can see how much of a kick Nate gets out of laying into the players. It’s payback time!” Mohammed shared, adding, “When Nate first believes he’s been fired at the end of season 1, he turns on Rebecca and calls her a ‘shrew’. A first glimpse into his nasty side.”

Mohammed also opened up about the change in his character’s appearance, explaining why Nate got a full head of grey hair in the sophomore season.

“The hair-colour change was deliberate. I have flecks of grey that were painted out in season 1 and were painted more and more grey as season 2 progressed (it’s a wig by the very end!)” Mohammed wrote. “In the way bitterness, guilt, shame and stress can often change someone’s appearance, they thought it would be fun to track Nate’s spiral this way.”

But, Mohammed writes, this all comes from a slew of micro-aggressions against Nate from the rest of the characters. Sometimes, too much of being called “the underdog” can get to someone.

“Not to condone Nate’s subsequent behaviour or attitude, but season 2 is jam full of micro aggressions against Nate,” he says. “From Ted laughing at the prospect of Nate being a ‘big dog’, to Roy not being bothered that Nate made an inappropriate move on Keeley, to him not receiving a Nespresso machine. The latter for me is a great example of jokes having consequences in which Jason has spoken about a lot. It feels like a joke (and is essentially played that way in the scene) but you know this is the kind of stuff that is ripping Nate in two.”

Finally, Mohammed opened up about those tragic moments at the end of Season 2, in which Nate rips the iconic ‘Believe’ sign into pieces.

“Also, when Brendan Hunt casually told me their plans to have the ‘Believe’ sign being ripped in two I fell on the floor and screamed!” Mohammed said. “It’s been one hell of a rollercoaster, thanks for sticking with it and for your support.”

Stream Ted Lasso on Apple TV+