Ted Lasso confirms fourth season, with major star returning
The fans believed, and now it has come true – Ted Lasso is officially returning to the field for a fourth season.
After a year of uncertainty, Apple TV+ confirmed on Saturday the Emmy Award-winning comedy is coming back, with Jason Sudeikis reprising his role as the eponymous happy-go-lucky AFC Richmond coach.
“As we all continue to live in a world where so many factors have conditioned us to look before we leap, in season four, the folks at AFC Richmond learn to leap before they look, discovering that wherever they land, it’s exactly where they’re meant to be,” Sudeikis said following season’s four announcement.
Believe it or not, Ted Lasso will return for a fourth season.Credit: Apple TV+
No release date has been confirmed, but the news comes after speculation over whether the previous season was its last, particularly given the title of its final episode, “So Long, Farewell”. Following the third season in March 2023, Sudeikis – who also helped develop the series – told Deadline they had reached the “end of the story [they] wanted to tell”. However, he did not rule out possible spin-offs or other projects related to the Ted Lasso universe.
Other cast members also dampened hopes of another season, including Brett Goldstein (the fictional team’s Roy Kent), who said in 2022 that the show was written with a three-season arc in mind.
Hannah Waddingham, who plays the team’s owner, Rebecca Welton, told E! News in 2022 she also wasn’t sure about the show’s future. “I think it might be, in terms of an end of a story. But, who knows? We’ll put Jason in a darkened room with a notepad and paper and go, ‘Do it!’”
These comments, along with suggestive social posts from other stars such as Nick Mohammed (who plays reformed rival Nate Shelley), fuelled rumours of a potential comeback.
The new season will presumably pick up where the previous instalment left off, though many of season three’s plot lines appeared rather final: Ted decided to return to Kansas to be with his son, Roy became the new manager of AFC Richmond, Nate managed to redeem himself and returned to the team as assistant to the kit man, and Rebecca sold 49 per cent of the club while retaining ownership. Details around the new season’s plot and cast are yet to be announced.
After its debut in 2020, Ted Lasso became the most Emmy-nominated comedy series in its first season. It has since earned 61 Emmy nominations and 13 trophies.
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