TED LASSO: S4

FIRST LOOK: SEASON 4 - EPISODES 1-5

Ted Lasso returns for a new era of soccer at AFC Richmond with the Lady Greyhounds, once again bringing the laughter, joy and heartfelt storytelling that defined the series’ first three seasons with intelligent writing as it explores AFC Richmond’s new female division, delivering once again another remarkably fun and excellently written season of television!

When Ted Lasso left AFC Richmond back in 2023 to return home to America, it felt like the end for the beloved AppleTV+ series. It was a perfect heartfelt farewell that captured the optimism and joy of the series while giving each character a well earned ending to their arc over the series’ three season run, that was the definition of an outstanding series finale for a comedy series. But since its conclusion, the world of television has felt less joyful and fun without Ted, Rebecca, Keeley, Higgins, Beard and Roy Kent in it. Answering the wishes of countless fans for more belief, shortbread biscuits, and the return of the Diamond Dogs, Jason Sudeikis picks up the whistle and returns to his most beloved character for a fourth season. And based on the first five episodes alone, it appears that audiences have another winning season of Ted Lasso on their hands that retains the identity of the previous seasons with its beloved characters and infectious humour while narratively exploring the world of female soccer, resulting in a season that is everything audiences know and love about Ted Lasso as it expands the world and thematic exploration of the series.

The first three seasons of Ted Lasso focused on mental health and the stigma against men openly discussing their feelings, which remains an ongoing theme for the series with Ted’s personal character arc, but with the shift to the new AFC Richmond’s women’s football team in the fourth season, it makes sense that the series takes a new primary narrative focus. While the heart, endless optimism, joy and laughter remains intact and is in abundance, the writing shifts the focus to the battles faced by women in sports. The first five episodes begin to scratch the surface of these struggles, such as the male dominated executive level who could care less about female division, investors and shareholders not seeing the value in such leagues, or the challenges that professional female athletes face that are not faced by their male counterparts and their own views of their self-worth, and each one is handled smartly and with the utmost compassion. Part of this credit can be given to the writing staff, which apart from the season premiere episode that sees Rebecca and crew get Ted to agree to move back to the United Kingdom, the remaining four episodes are all written by female writers which gives an insight and grace to the handling of the roadblocks faced by the AFC women that is conveyed with such ease and compassion that male writers would not be able to replicate.

While we still get lots of the relationships that made the first three seasons a beloved phenomenon, such as the potential romantic rekindling of Roy and Keeley and the one two punch of Ted and Beard as coaches, the new female characters are fascinating and wonderful additions to the Ted Lasso family. Coach Alice Chilton is a wonderfully complex character, hardened by her personal setbacks in her professional career as a player and having to work in a male dominated field, but being sneakily hilarious with a dry sense of humour and equally peculiar set of cultural references that makes her both the best parts of Ted and Beard and her own uniquely distinct character. The female players themselves are as exciting and diverse, from Faye Marsay’s Lizzie with her unquestionable talent and adorable young son, a set of fighting twins, and Abbie Hern’s Gemma who has a complicated history with Coach Chilton, each making for a great addition to the lovable and unforgettable cast of characters of the series.

To no one’s surprise, the returning cast of Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Jeremy Swift, Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt and Juno Temple all bring their A-game once again. Sudeikis’ ever bubbly optimism and delightful comedic stylings continues his lovely performance as Ted while continuing to dig deep to find the man behind the joyful outward appearance, Waddingham’s powerful presence, warmth and killer comedic delivery continues to make Rebecca a standout character, and Goodstein’s grouchy and cuss-infused portrayal of Roy delivers some of the biggest laughs of the season at the same time as his softer more caring side shows as he tries to win back Keeley. Temple is as infectious, energetic and caring as ever as Keeley, sharing some truly wonderful moments opposite Waddingham and Goldstein, Swift has some brilliant scenes as Higgins, especially in the premiere episode; and Hunt brings back Beard weirder and more hilarious than ever!

But as much as these first four episodes are about the characters and performances we know and love, it’s also about the new additions to the series, and the performances from the new cast members are just as excellent. Tayna Reynolds is brilliant as Coach Alice Chilton, never breaking her character’s deadpan stare despite the infectious comedy occurring all around her, while instilling Alice with an unwavering compassion for her players and fight for her position as a female coach in a male dominated industry, making for the standout performance of the new cast members. Marsay is great as Lizzie, the team’s newest centre back player with a wit and powerful presence in a mere matter of three episodes, while Jude Mack, Aisling Sharkey and Rex Hayes are all colourful and hilarious in their supporting roles as other players on the Lady Greyhounds team, ensuring that the new characters are every bit as remarkable and lovable as their male counterparts in the series’ first three seasons.

Coach Lasso is back and continues his grip on television as one of the funniest, heartfelt and most emotionally intelligent shows in recent memory. Capturing that lightning in a bottle energy and comedy stylings that made initially made the series a runaway sensation, while retaining its honest character driven storytelling while shifting its focus to women in sports, Jason Sudeikis, his writing team and his fellow cast mates shine brightly in the first five episodes of the series’ fourth season. Absolutely hilarious one second then pulling emotional punches the next, Ted Lasso returns in all its former glory while tackling new territory in the world of professional soccer, confirming its status as one of the best shows currently airing on television!