One quote from Ted Lasso season 1 perfectly captures the show’s highly anticipated return. Though Ted Lasso‘s third season was originally deemed to be the Apple TV dramedy’s last, the streamer soon announced that the titular Coach Lasso would return to the hallowed halls of AFC Richmond, taking on a new challenge and a new team — with a twist.

Anyone paying attention during the season 3 finale won’t have been surprised by the news that Ted would be coaching Richmond’s newly formed women’s football team. After all, PR superstar Keeley Jones slid a proposal for that very thing across Rebecca’s desk in the show’s last montage, setting up a spinoff, or in this case, a new season. Still, it’s a big shift for the show.

Though some of Ted Lasso’s original characters have been confirmed to return, including Ted, Rebecca, Keeley, Beard, Roy, and Higgins, the Richmond players audiences fell in love with over three seasons will be replaced with a new cohort, changing the club dynamic. Which team members will lead the show this time around? How will the new players’ interpersonal issues differ from what the men struggled with?

It remains to be seen how audiences will react to the show’s major changes; Ted Lasso was, and still is, a comfort show for many. Thankfully, for anyone apprehensive about the series’ imminent return, Coach Lasso dropped some relevant words of wisdom soon after he arrived in Richmond for the first time. In season 1, episode 5, “Tan Lines,” Ted made the shocking decision to sub out Jamie Tartt just before halftime. In the locker room, as the team felt both despondent and confused, Coach reminded them that while change can be scary, it can be good, too:

“Most of the time, change is a good thing, and I think that’s what it’s all about – embracing change, being brave, doing whatever you have to, so everyone in your life can move forward with theirs.”

In typical Ted fashion, this quote was mixed in with a slightly long-winded yet no less endearing story about his experiences with puberty, but the sentiment remains just as powerful. Of course, that doesn’t mean that the show’s different focus won’t affect audiences. Ted Lasso‘s return is still a risk, in more ways than one.

Ted Lasso’s Season 4 Return Is A Risk

Ted Lasso‘s season 4 renewal isn’t typical. The season 3 finale really did feel like a permanent ending, with each character given a glimpse of their future. Ted moved back to Kansas to be with his family, and it felt like he’d learned all he’d needed to from his time at Richmond. In this age of premature streaming cancellations, it’s nice when a show gets to end on its own terms. Ted Lasso‘s season 4 return risks undoing that ending and the characters’ development with this new story.

Additionally, Ted Lasso‘s third season was more divisive than the previous two. Episodes became much longer, leaning heavily into the show’s dramatic side rather than the comedic side; Nate’s redemption arc and path back to Richmond felt underwhelming, and its central love story was left in the lurch for a more dramatic, if not as satisfying, approach. That’s not to say the entire season was bad — it included the standout Amsterdam episode, after all. The question now is, will the show follow season 3’s lead, or will it reclaim the magic of the first two seasons?

Ted Lasso Season 4’s Story Change Is The Best Path For The Show

Credit: Apple TV

Despite season 3’s issues and the show’s surprising return, Ted Lasso‘s season 4 changes are the best path for the show. As Ted said, people have to be able to move forward with their lives. Especially in this business, players move from club to club. Having Ted train an entirely new men’s team would have invited constant comparison to fan favorites like Jamie Tartt, Sam Obisanya, Colin Hughes, Isaac MacAdoo, and more. That team dynamic was a gold mine; it would be impossible to replicate that.

The AFC Richmond women’s team is wholly its own thing, and it deserves to be. Women’s football has grown immensely over the last decade, especially in the US, the UK, and across the rest of Europe. The UEFA Women’s Euro doubled its audience between the 2017 and 2022 editions (via the BBC). The Women’s Super League — the women’s equivalent of the Premier League — has experienced a massive uptick in viewership, too, as clubs like Chelsea, Manchester City, and Arsenal invest more in their women’s teams (via Sky Sports).

There’s no better time for a show with such a massive global audience to spotlight a growing industry, especially in the wake of the FIFA Men’s World Cup in North America and with the upcoming Women’s World Cup in Brazil next year. If any series can do this concept justice, it’s Ted Lasso. It’s “embracing change” and “being brave.”

Ted Lasso season 4 premieres on Apple TV on August 5, with new episodes arriving weekly on Wednesdays.

Release Date

August 14, 2020

Network

Apple TV

Directors

Declan Lowney, MJ Delaney, Erica Dunton, Matt Lipsey