A three-year gap between seasons is no longer a rarity (hello, “Severance” and “Stranger Things”). But what makes the return of Apple TV’s flagship comedy stand out is that “Ted Lasso” had seemingly aired its final episode—even if no one would confirm it. Still, you should never count out anything in Hollywood making a comeback, and both the series and its titular character (played by co-creator Jason Sudeikis) are at their best when their backs are against the wall. From its debut in 2020 through AFC Richmond’s final match in 2023, “Ted Lasso” lost its shine, going from a bastion of hope and an awards-show juggernaut—including back-to-back Emmy wins for Comedy Series—to bloated episode lengths, rumors of behind-the-scenes tension, and a finale featuring a green-screen sequence so wobbly that it prompted questions about whether the Stonehenge wedding was a dream. It was not. Now back for a fourth season, the first four episodes offer flashes of the show’s previous brilliance while still falling prey to the issues that dogged the previous run.
Part of the reset involves bringing Ted back to AFC Richmond. Having confronted some of the anxiety surrounding parenthood and the trauma of his childhood, Ted returned to the United States to be a more hands-on dad to his son. The first episode finds Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham), Keeley (Juno Temple), and Higgins (Jeremy Swift) traveling to Kansas City, Missouri, to lure Ted back to England. Three years have also passed since Ted quit, and in that time, Keeley’s proposal to launch a women’s soccer team has become a reality, with the Lady Greyhounds about to make their debut. The goal—excuse the pun—is for Ted to work the same magic on the second-division squad that he did with the men’s team. The obstacles, including an overarching plot about budget constraints, are far greater. References to Ted’s original hiring as part of Rebecca’s revenge plot against her ex, Rupert (the late Anthony Head), ease us back into this world.
The lengthy episodes are noticeable from the jump—the first four all clock in at around 45 minutes. While this certainly isn’t as bloated as some of the Season 3 installments, several B- and C-plots involving returning figures like Rebecca, Keeley, and Roy (Brett Goldstein) stall the momentum generated by the new team. Streaming series are often accused of dragging because of their bloated runtimes. Still, Apple TV has been on a hot streak lately with titles like “Widow’s Bay,” “Margo’s Got Money Troubles,” and “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed,” all delivering episodes that typically hover around half an hour. Any hope that “Ted Lasso” would follow suit is dashed early, and the longer runtimes would be less egregious if more of the jokes landed. There are certainly chuckles, but not enough laugh-out-loud moments to justify 45-minute episodes.
Thankfully, the new team is where “Ted Lasso” sings. To balance Ted’s eternal optimism and folksy charm, a new coach enters the mix. Fresh off a scene-stealing performance as the haughty Caroline Bingley in “The Other Bennet Sister,” Tanya Reynolds deftly walks the line between a spiky exterior and fierce dedication to the Lady Greyhounds as Coach Alice Chilton. Rather than simply repeating the gruff Roy Kent beats, Alice is driven by a desire to succeed and be taken seriously. Rebecca comes off poorly during Alice’s introduction in the second episode, and Alice’s contrasting personality enlivens her backroom scenes with Ted. The salty-sweet balance is only part of the pairing’s success. Adding Beard (Brendan Hunt) to the mix lends an air of familiarity, but the energy differs from the Diamond Dogs’ coaching-staff support system. Reynolds more than keeps up with Sudeikis and Hunt, giving the season a strong foundation.
Starting over with a new team means quickly establishing characters we want to see succeed without repeating familiar personalities. After memorable roles in “Andor” and “Game of Thrones,” Faye Marsay is the most instantly recognizable member of the squad as tenacious defender Lizzie, who is quick to intervene when tempers flare. Other standouts include goalkeeper Boots (Jude Mack), who refuses to wear gloves (“Goalies are nuts”); squabbling twins Niamh (Aisling Sharkey) and Siobhan (Rex Hayes); and striker Gemma (Abbie Hern). The latter has a personal history with Alice and ambitions beyond soccer, adding another layer of intrigue. While the old characters are missed—particularly Jamie Tartt, Sam Obisanya, and Dani Rojas—this doesn’t feel like a diminishing-returns “Saved by the Bell: The New Class” scenario. It is much closer to the fourth and fifth seasons of “Friday Night Lights.”
Getting to know the Lady Greyhounds, with Ted back doing what he loves, reinvigorates the series. Avoiding relegation or winning the league isn’t the immediate priority; keeping the fledgling team alive is. Women’s soccer has grown in popularity in the UK, thanks in part to the success of the England national team, but it still lacks the resources and coverage afforded to the men’s game. Archaic opinions about women’s sports are another hurdle. At the executive level, Rebecca tries to manage expectations with varying results. Seeds are planted early that spell trouble for best friends Rebecca and Keeley, who is now the Lady Greyhounds’ chief marketing officer. Mixing business and friendship is a recipe for discord, and the arrival of Tracey Ullman’s no-nonsense businesswoman Zelda Southport provides another potential source of friction. While this might all come together as the season progresses, Rebecca’s plotting currently has a scattergun quality, encompassing her apparent discovery of feminism, struggles to balance work and her personal life, and decision to keep budget secrets from Keeley.
Keeley’s role at Richmond immediately corrects the problems with her professional arc last season, which left her isolated from most of the cast. She is also the perfect champion for this women’s team. However, anyone hoping to see a reset of one of the most fumbled “Ted Lasso” storylines will be disappointed. Roy and Keeley’s breakup was rooted in Roy’s self-sabotaging behavior, which has already been explored at length. The manufactured obstacles keeping them stuck as friends were tiresome by Season 3. There are more ways to explore a dynamic than cycling through a breakup and the possibility of reconciliation, but “Ted Lasso” doesn’t appear interested in embracing them. Goldstein and Temple’s chemistry remains electric whenever they share the screen, only adding to the frustration with where this storyline appears to be heading.
Soccer is famously a game of two halves, and that is exactly what the start of Season 4 resembles. Focusing on the women’s team recaptures much of what made viewers fall in love with the show in 2020. Yet cutting between the entertaining Lady Greyhounds and several returning characters making tiresome choices recalls the missteps that made the previous season a slog. There is still plenty to be hopeful about, but “Ted Lasso” needs to change tactics if this is going to be a winning return. [C+]
Emma Fraser is a freelance entertainment journalist with a focus on TV, movies, and costume design. In addition to The Playlist, she has contributed to The Daily Beast's Obsessed, L.A. Times, Elle, Backstage, Little White Lies, and more.
