Ted Lasso returns to coach a new women's team

Ted Lasso is back for a fourth season on Apple TV, premiering Wednesday, with Jason Sudeikis reprising his role as the optimistic coach. The new season follows Ted as he returns to Richmond to manage a newly formed women's soccer team, a project hinted at in the season 3 finale. The premiere finds Ted working part-time at a grocery store in Kansas City, where Rebecca, Keeley, and Higgins visit to convince him to coach the Lady Greyhounds Source: The Verge.

New cast, new challenges

The show introduces a largely new cast of players, including a goalkeeper who refuses to wear gloves, a mom who joined via open tryout, and a striker balancing football with law school Source: The Verge. The season doesn't shy away from the realities of women's football, such as underfunding and injuries Source: The Verge. The Los Angeles Times notes that the premiere is "something of a hurdle," bogged down in contrivances to get Ted back to Richmond, but the show settles into a more familiar feel once it returns to England Source: LA Times.

A different landscape

Season 4 arrives at a different time for Apple TV, with new hits like Severance and Pluribus having emerged since the show's 2020 debut Source: The Verge. The LA Times questions whether the show needed to return, given the satisfying conclusion of season 3, but ultimately welcomes it back Source: LA Times. The new season is a risky bet, eschewing beloved characters like Jamie Tartt and Sam Obisanya for newcomers, but early episodes suggest it recaptures much of the original charm Source: The Verge.