After a three-year hiatus, Apple TV+'s Emmy-winning comedy "Ted Lasso" returns with its fourth season, aiming to recapture the energy of its initial run. The season premieres on August 5, with Jason Sudeikis reprising his role as the titular folksy American football coach who now finds himself back in Kansas after his time managing a Premier League soccer club in the UK.
A New Premise
The initial premise of "Ted Lasso" saw Ted navigating the complexities of English culture while coaching a struggling men's soccer team. Season 4 shifts the focus, with Ted having put his soccer career behind him and working a more conventional job while raising his son, Henry. The narrative is re-energized when old friends and colleagues, including Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham), Keeley Jones (Juno Temple), and Leslie Higgins (Jeremy Swift), visit and persuade him to return to England. This time, Ted is tasked with coaching a burgeoning women's soccer team.
Course Correction
Early reviews suggest that while the season premiere takes a slow approach to establishing this new premise, the subsequent episodes find a stronger rhythm. The season is noted for feeling like a course correction from the second and third seasons, which some critics felt veered off track with less successful plotlines. The return to a format similar to Season 1, where Ted attempts to assemble and motivate an underdog team while navigating interpersonal dynamics, is seen as a positive step.
Key returning characters like Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein), now coaching the men's team at the same facility, are expected to play significant roles. The dynamic between Roy and Keeley continues to be a focus, adding a familiar element to the new season. The introduction of new characters, such as the stern women's coach Alice Chilton (Tanya Reynolds) and player Lizzie (Faye Marsay), aims to bring fresh perspectives, though returning characters largely drive the plot.
Familiar Themes, New Approach
Season 4 reportedly balances familiar "Ted Lasso" elements of sincerity and team-building with dry British humor. The show explores themes of underfunding and undervaluing women's sports, sometimes with amusingly awkward attempts at "girl boss" feminism, as seen in Rebecca's storyline. While some narrative choices, like a comparison of women's sports to baseball's Negro Leagues in the premiere, have been described as falling flat, such moments are reportedly minimal.
"Ted Lasso" premiered in 2020 and quickly became a cultural phenomenon, garnering 61 Emmy nominations and 13 wins. It significantly boosted Apple TV+'s profile and launched the careers of actors like Goldstein, Waddingham, and Temple. The upcoming season is anticipated to offer a return to the cozy and encouraging tone that resonated with audiences, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic, making it a potentially welcome comeback for fans who felt the show lost its way in its middle seasons.