As Talk of More ‘Ted Lasso’ Became Real, Its Stars Wondered: “Am I In It?”
Ted Lasso is returning for a fourth season on Apple TV, three years after the show's apparent finale, with stars Hannah Waddingham and Juno Temple revealing they were initially unsure whether they would be included when writers began discussing new episodes. Both actresses have confirmed they are back, alongside creator and lead Jason Sudeikis, in a season that shifts focus from the men's AFC Richmond football team to the women's side, known as the Lady Greyhounds. Producers describe the instalment as neither a spin-off nor a straightforward continuation, but an expansion of the show's world.
The new 10-episode season premieres on 5 August, with its opening episode filmed last summer in Kansas City before production moved to England. While Sudeikis returns, the actors who previously played male footballers have been replaced by actresses portraying the new women's team, a change the writers deemed creatively necessary. Waddingham and Temple, who play Rebecca Welton and Keeley Jones respectively, described taking on informal mentoring roles with the new cast and expressed a shared determination to keep the show grounded rather than let its characters slide into caricature.
- Ted Lasso returns 5 August with a new 10-episode season on Apple TV.
- Focus shifts to the women's team, the Lady Greyhounds.
- Waddingham and Temple return; male players recast with actresses.
New here? Start with this
Ted Lasso is a comedy series about an American coach, played by Jason Sudeikis, who takes charge of AFC Richmond, an English football club. Its characters include club owner Rebecca Welton, played by Hannah Waddingham, and marketing executive Keeley Jones, played by Juno Temple.
The series ended after three seasons, but its setting includes both the men’s team and the club’s wider community. The next season brings the women’s team, the Lady Greyhounds, into focus, with Waddingham, Temple and Sudeikis among the returning cast.
The shift introduces new players and relationships while keeping familiar characters in the story. It also gives the series room to explore women’s football within the fictional club.