While there are plenty of the show’s original characters returning for Ted Lasso season 4, the focus will necessarily be on its titular protagonist building relationships with the members of a brand new football team. AFC Richmond is launching a women’s side, and Ted will be tasked with getting the very best out of them.
At the same time, there are several Ted Lasso storylines that need to be resolved from previous seasons, such as the future of Ted’s marriage, Keeley’s chosen romantic partner, and AFC Richmond men’s next challenge for the Premier League title. Season 4 will have quite the juggling act factoring these storylines into its fresh chapter in Ted’s story.
Ted Lasso Season 4 Marks The Show’s Comeback After 3 Years
Creator Jason Sudeikis and producer Bill Lawrence originally had a three-season plan for Ted Lasso, which made this comeback season something of a surprise when rumors first emerged that Sudeikis was developing it. However, as Lawrence has explained, season 4’s story essentially involves Ted starting afresh, coaching a brand new football team.
Yes, Ted will still be working at AFC Richmond, but he’ll be head of the women’s team rather than the men’s team he coached in seasons 1 to 3. We’ll see plenty of familiar faces, but other original stars won’t be returning to the series for season 4. What’s more, there’ll be a host of newcomers featuring alongside Sudeikis and Hannah Waddingham.
Given the three years that have passed since Ted Lasso’s last season was wrapped up with a definitive finale episode, it’s going to be a big test of the show’s enduring appeal to keep drawing in audiences this year with a whole new premise. Ted has already proven himself in men’s football, but the women’s sport is a different story.
Season 4 Features A Major Change In Ted’s Role
The introduction of women’s football could well be the masterstroke that makes Ted Lasso even better in season 4, while giving the show the new challenge it needed to keep going. However, the dynamic between Ted and AFC Richmond’s women will inevitably be different from when he first arrived as the men’s coach.
Ted might now be able to implement the principles of total football, but he’ll have to adapt his personal management style to the women’s game, given the different gender dynamic at play. What’s more, while we’re already fully familiar with Ted and the likes of Coach Beard, the members of his new team will be entirely new characters for us.
Comparisons with the likes of Jamie Tartt, Dani Rojas, and Colin Hughes are going to be inevitable, meaning there’s already a lot of pressure on these fresh faces to entertain us, move us, and make us laugh. If anyone can bring the best out of them, though, it’s surely Jason Sudeikis’ titular hero.
Ted Lasso’s New Season Will Miss Some Of The Show’s Best Characters
With former Ted Lasso star Nick Mohammed revealing that season 4 will focus on new characters, and Phil Dunster still unconfirmed for the new season, we’re going to have to get used to the show without some of its best characters. If Dunster appears at all as Jamie Tartt, it’ll almost certainly be in a brief cameo at best.
Brett Goldstein’s Roy Kent will be around, but we’ll barely see him in his new role as AFC Richmond men’s manager, away from Ted’s side. While it’s exciting to see what Tanya Reynolds can do playing Ted’s new assistant, and find out who’s going to stand out in the Richmond women’s team, this season certainly marks the end of an era.
As much as it’ll still be the same in so many ways, Ted Lasso will be a different show in season 4. It remains to be seen whether this new iteration of the sitcom can live up to what’s gone before it.
- Release Date
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August 14, 2020
- Showrunner
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Bill Lawrence