Ted Lasso appears to be coming back for a new season. The soccer comedy debuted on AppleTV+ on August 14, 2020, and seemed to be the series that everyone needed during the COVID-19 pandemic. It ran for three seasons, concluding on May 31, 2023, after letting audiences know for years that they had a three-season story planned. Yet the series was incredibly popular, earning critical acclaim and awards around the time Season 3 was airing. This led to rumors circulating that they were considering a fourth season. Yet the series ended with a mixed reaction from some fans, and word was quiet. It seemed Ted Lasso was truly over.

However, on August 24, 2024, a little over four years from when the series debuted, it was reported that a new season of the show was happening. Stars Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein, and Jeremy Swift all had their contracts picked up by Warner Bros. Television as they were all under the UK acting union Equity. Meanwhile, AppleTV+ and Warner Bros. Television are expected to make offers to SAG-AFTRA actors Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt, and Juno Temple.

News of Ted Lasso’s return has earned mixed reaction, with some fans excited at the prospect of more episodes featuring the lovable cast of characters while others are hesitant following what they saw as a disappointing third season, with some feeling dismissive of the series as they believe the series was never that good, to begin with. Ted Lasso’s return is a risky prospect that has the potential to undo the entire series legacy, but it has one fundamental way to continue.

Ted Lasso Season 3 Is Controversial

Season 3 of Ted Lasso got a mixed reaction from many and, in many ways, played out similarly to what would happen with the FX series The Bear in its third season. Season 3 of Ted Lasso suffered from many problems that often plague streaming series, from episode runtimes ballooning out of control to introducing new plot threads late into the series that needed to be wrapped up quickly.

Now, the longer runtime of episodes could be excused because, when taken together, the runtime of seasons 12 episodes would have factored into 24 episodes of a standard 30-minute comedy. However, it also meant the series sped through plotlines, like Nate’s betrayal of Ted and the fallout from that to introducing the new player, Zava, to drop out; the series had a lot on its mind, and it still wanted to do, but it had already committed to the three-season arc.

The Show Was Wrapped Up Neatly

Yet when all was said and done, the finale of Ted Lasso delivered on what the series and lead character set out to do. Throughout three seasons, audiences watched Ted change the people of the AFC Richmond football team to be the best versions of themselves both on and off the field. Rebecca, Keeley, Roy, and the other characters have undergone extreme growth from where they started when they met Ted, and they are better people. The final montage catches the audience up on what happens to everyone after the show ends, showing a rather happy ending for everything.

Meanwhile, Ted himself returned home to be with his family, which was the goal he had been trying to achieve since the start of the series. Yet he also is not a static character, as time away allowed him to grow as a person. He learned to accept the darker parts of himself, embracing that he won’t always be happy, but now, instead of repressing those negative emotions, he chooses to accept them and move forward, focusing on the positive future that lies ahead and giving new meaning to his expression “be a goldfish.” He is last seen coaching his son’s soccer team, looking to impart the lessons he taught the people at AFC Richmond on a new generation, while also the lessons he learned. Ted Lasso’s story is that of the hero’s journey; he accepted the call to adventure and finally returned home, like a hero in a Greek myth.

The final season had some bumps along the road, but it was a satisfying conclusion for the series, specifically Ted Lasso’s journey. Any attempt at doing another season has the potential to undo that cathartic resolution. While there is always a desire to see more of our favorite characters, sometimes that comes at the risk of what is a cathartic ending. Quentin Tarantino recently admitted he won’t watch Toy Story 4, despite how good it is, because he loves the ending of Toy Story 3. While some would see the potential Ted Lasso season 4 as a chance to “do-over” the third and final season, that implies there was something broken or needing fixing instead of accepting the piece as is. Also, attempts to redo a controversial finale, like Dexter or Heroes, returns often make the series worse. Sometimes, it is okay to leave a story alone.

Ted Lasso’s Return Could Undo a Lot of the Series Goodwill

The return of Ted Lasso Season 4 also risks undoing a lot of the series’ goodwill. While the series might not have been the crowing jewel of television that it was in its first season, there is something admirable: the series creators had three seasons planned out and stuck to them. Obviously, they changed and added material, but they committed to the three-season plan and went out on their terms. They did not get canceled; they decided their ending.

Returning for a fourth season, no matter how well-intentioned or even creatively inspired, can’t help but feel like trying to recapture a former glory; just look at fan reaction to Robert Downey Jr. and the Russo Brothers returning to the MCU. Now, if the team behind Ted Lasso had a story they wanted to tell, that is more important than public perception. Artists should not fear how something will be perceived but more about the final result.

Yet Ted Lasso’s return in post-2024 is a very different television landscape than 2020. When Ted Lasso debuted, it was the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, as people had been in quarantine since March of that year. After five months of doom-scrolling, fear, and dread, Ted Lasso was an optimistic series about the good in people when audiences needed it most. Season 2, darker than the one that also got mixed reactions from fans, aired as cities rolled back quarantine protocols as a vaccine was released. Ted Lasso was a series of its moment, similar to 24 tapping into America’s post-9/11 fears. 24 could not recapture that spark despite various attempts at revivals, and now has Ted Lasso’s cultural moment passed? Sometimes, it is okay to let a series remain in the past.

Ted Lasso Season 4 Is a Bad Idea… But a Spin-Off Is a Different Story

Ted Lasso Season 4 seems like a risky prospect, as it would require bringing back star Jason Sudeikis for another long-term contract, which would also require a solid reason for Ted to return to AFC Richmond and leave behind his family once more. That seems like a lot of work for what could be an easier solution and make a Ted Lasso spin-off. After all, one of the final moments of Ted Lasso showed Ted giving a note to writer Trent Crimm about his book to change the title from The Lasso Way to The Richmond Way as Ted shows it was never about him.

This is a meta-commentary on the series itself, as Ted Lasso might have been the title star, but the supporting cast of characters soon quickly became fan favorites. Some of the best episodes in the series focused on the supporting characters, and that should be the path a Ted Lasso follow-up continues with. Spin-offs allow series worlds to continue on with fan-favorite characters that leave the door open for original stars to return while also expanding side characters into fully-fledged people.

A Ted Lasso spin-off without Ted Lasso, but one focused on the AFC Richmond management team, is an interesting starting premise. How do the characters and the series move forward without Ted Lasso at the center of it? What new challenges are in store for them in their lives? Because they don’t stop living once Ted leaves. While Ted Lasso, as a character, needed to be the audience’s POV character, audiences are now accustomed to the setting and the rest of the characters who can now take the lead. Audiences can explore Rebecca in her new relationship while also digging into whether this truly is her happy ending. Fans would also love more resolution between the Roy Kent and Keeley Jones romance and if they will end up together or if they are better apart.

Plenty of great stories are left to tell with these characters, but the key is they don’t need to bring out Ted Lasso, the character, or the name. They need to be brave, and if they do want to continue the series, move beyond the title character…at least at first. Nothing says he can’t have a fun cameo.