‘Ted Lasso’ Season 4 Is Both a Promising Reboot and a Tedious Sequel: TV Review
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- "Ted Lasso" Season 4 sends Jason Sudeikis's titular coach from Kansas City back to London, where Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham), Keeley (Juno Temple), and Higgins (Jeremy Swift) recruit him to lead AFC Richmond's new women's team, the underdog Greyhounds.
- Tanya Reynolds ("Sex Education") joins as Coach Alice Chilton, the only new character who feels fully established across the five episodes provided to critics out of an eventual 10.
- Tracey Ullman debuts as Rebecca's new mentor; the season also introduces a single-mom walk-on player and a goalie who refuses to wear gloves.
- Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein, who also co-runs the writers' room), Beard (Brendan Hunt), and the Roy-Keeley romance all remain dominant — the show can't "make room in the ensemble" without sidelining them.
- A major decision by Ted's ex-wife Michelle (Andrea Anders) is sped through rather than dramatized from her perspective, illustrating the cost of overcrowding.
- "Ted Lasso" keeps episodes under one hour across the five sent to critics, an improvement over Season 3's bloat.
Why it matters: Apple TV+ is reviving one of its few major hits after a poorly received Season 3, and the review argues the women's team premise is the right reset — but the show can't execute it without moving Roy Kent and the Roy-Keeley romance to the bench. Tighter episodes (none over an hour) are progress; the ensemble problem isn't solved across the five episodes screened.
