Apple TV's "Ted Lasso" has returned for a fourth season, with critic Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter giving it a lukewarm reception, describing it as "sweet but empty." While new showrunner Jack Burditt has trimmed the show's previous excesses, such as bloated running times and sprawling subplots, the review argues the series has struggled to replace them with anything genuinely compelling, suggesting the "Richmond way" formula may have run its course.

The season, which premiered on 5 August 2026, follows Ted (Jason Sudeikis) taking charge of Richmond's newly formed women's team, having shed nearly all its male cast members except Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein), now a coach. Of the five episodes (of ten) supplied to critics, each runs a more restrained 45 minutes, but the new women's squad has yet to make a strong impression, with the reviewer singling out Tanya Reynolds' prickly assistant coach Alice as the standout addition. The central conflict, an amorphous "unjust system" involving sexist fans and sceptical executives, is described as less engaging than the show's previous, more concrete challenges.