Rating: ★★★★☆
Verdict: “Ted Lasso” season 4 doesn't quite have the show's early magic, but the new women's team gives the show a fresh spark and plenty of new stories to tell. It didn't necessarily need to come back, but after the uneven third season, this warm, funny return to Richmond is very welcome.
Release schedule: Episode 1 now streaming
Where to watch: Apple TV
Three years ago, Ted Lasso packed up his mustache and dad jokes and flew home to Kansas, and the Apple TV show all but hung up a "series finale: closed for business" banner. It didn't seem like “Ted Lasso” had much left to say. The world's nicest coach had guided AFC Richmond to many victories, fixed a whole lot of broken relationships and delivered enough inspirational speeches to fill several motivational calendars. And while season 3 had its moments, it also felt like the show had started running on fumes.
Then season 4 puts Ted (Jason Sudeikis) in charge of a women's soccer team, and suddenly I'm interested again.
I've seen the first five episodes, and while I wouldn't go so far as to say “Ted Lasso” needed to come back, this is the most fun I've had with this show since season 1. The new team gives the show fresh characters and storylines, while the return of Ted, Rebecca, Keeley, Roy, Beard and Higgins brings back the cozy, familiar feeling that made me and so many others fall in love with the show.
Very light spoilers ahead for "Ted Lasso" season 4 episodes 1-5.
Kelly recently reviewed "Silo," "Star City," "The Other Bennet Sister," "The Testaments" and "For All Mankind" season 5.
A new team and new problems give 'Ted Lasso' something new to play with
Season 4 starts with Ted (Jason Sudeikis) in Kansas City, working as an assistant manager at a supermarket. On paper, everything is fine: He's with his son, Henry, and his co-parenting relationship with his ex-wife is friendly. But Ted is bored. Very bored. It doesn't take long to realize that he's missing the thing that has defined his life for the past few years: coaching.
So, naturally, he ends up back at AFC Richmond when Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham), Keeley (Juno Temple) and Higgins (Jeremy Swift) fly in to offer him a job. Except this time, it's coaching the club's new women's team.
It's a breath of fresh air that the show desperately needed. The women aren't simply a replacement for Jamie, Roy and the rest of the old Richmond crew. They have their own personalities, cliques and tensions, and Ted has to learn that coaching this team isn't going to work exactly the way it did with the men. For starters, he can't just wander into the locker room whenever he wants. A small thing, but one that immediately makes the new team feel like its own world.
More importantly, the women's team gives “Ted Lasso” some genuinely new things to talk about. The show tackles the massive disparities between men's and women's sports through storylines about funding, facilities and fan interest. Rebecca has to figure out whether and how much to invest in the women's team — and what it says about her self-image as a feminist.
It also sometimes brings her into conflict with Keeley (Juno Temple). Their friendship and working partnership remains one of the show's best relationships, and adding nuance to that is a smart move.
Among the new cast members, the standout is Tanya Reynolds as Alice Chilton, the assistant coach. Alice is determined to prove herself, and her solution seems to be becoming the least fun person in England. Her prickliness contrasts well against Ted's sunny optimism and Beard's (Brendan Hunt) dry moodiness.
Roy (Brett Goldstein) isn't around quite as much with the men's team pushed into the background, but he gets a pretty funny dating storyline. And, yes, his will-they-won't-they with Keeley is still very much a thing (and delightful).
Verdict: ‘Ted Lasso’ season 4 is a welcome return to form
If I'm being honest, this season didn't need to exist. "Ted Lasso" wrapped up on its own terms, and a comeback like this could've easily turned into a nostalgia lap that coasts on goodwill. Fortunately, it doesn't.
“Ted Lasso” is a sports comedy, but it's also a hangout comedy (as most co-creator Bill Lawrence's shows are). Much of its appeal has nothing to do with whether Richmond wins or loses. It's watching Ted and Beard banter, Rebecca and Keeley girlboss together, Roy growl at everyone within earshot and Higgins be Higgins. "Ted Lasso" has always been comfort food, and season 4 is an extra-saucy helping of barbecue.
'Ted Lasso' has always been comfort food, and season 4 is an extra-saucy helping of barbecue.
It isn't perfect. Some of the show's more cringe-inducing material is still here, particularly Beard's on-again-off-again relationship Jane, which continues to be a thing (and not delightful). There's greater emphasis on romance all around — delving into Rebecca's relationship with her Dutch boyfriend, Keeley and Roy, and possibly even a new love interest for Ted. That's not necessarily a bad thing, as long as those storylines don't completely take over the show.
Five episodes in, season 4 has similar vibes as the first season — almost like a reboot. Then again, I've seen reboots/revivals that not only lack the spirit of the original, but they also cast shade on it. At least "Ted Lasso" season 4 doesn't do that.
So, no, the show doesn't match its peak. And no, it didn't need to come back. But I'm glad it did. It's a harsh world out there and I'm happy to hang out with a group of warm, funny pals doing their best to help each other succeed. In the words of another great TV coach: Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose.
"Ted Lasso" season 4 streams weekly on Apple TV
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