Ted Lasso Season 4 Is Winning Over Skeptics With Its Boldest Gamble Yet — An All-New AFC Richmond Women's Team

Jason Sudeikis is back as Ted Lasso in Ted Lasso Season 4, now streaming on Apple TV.

When Apple TV confirmed that Ted Lasso would return for a fourth season, even the most devoted believers raised an eyebrow. The show ended its third season in 2023 with what felt like a proper goodbye — Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) back in Kansas with his son Henry, and AFC Richmond moving on without him. What was honestly left to say?

Turns out, quite a lot. Season 4 premiered on August 5, 2026, and now that the season is rolling through its weekly drop, the comeback nobody asked for is quietly winning over its loudest skeptics.

The Big Gamble: A Whole New Team

The twist that makes this season work? Ted isn't coaching the men's side anymore. Season 4 centers on AFC Richmond's newly formed women's team, a scrappy squad Ted returns across the pond to build from scratch alongside Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt), Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein), club owner Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham), and Keeley Jones (Juno Temple).

The fresh blood is where the season truly sparkles. Tanya Reynolds (Sex Education) steals scenes as Coach Alice Chilton, a fiercely qualified assistant coach who refuses to be anyone's sidekick, while newcomers played by Abbie Hern, Faye Marsay, and Jude Mack give the locker room a completely different energy than Roy's old dressing room ever had.

Critics Came Ready to Hate It

To be fair, the skepticism wasn't imaginary. Variety called the season "promising as a reboot, tedious as a sequel," while Esquire argued the show remains trapped by its own sentimentality. But plenty of critics have been won over — Tom's Guide admitted to walking in "deeply skeptical" before coming out, in true Ted fashion, a believer.

The consensus so far: treating Season 4 less like a continuation and more like a soft reboot was exactly the right call. The women's team setting lets the show rediscover its underdog heartbeat without retreading the Promotion Quest storyline that carried Seasons 1 through 3 — and arriving just weeks after the 2026 FIFA World Cup dominated headlines, the timing couldn't feel more natural for football-hungry fans.

There's also the matter of Roy Kent himself. Brett Goldstein's grumpy legend is reportedly getting far more screen time this season, and his scenes opposite Reynolds' Coach Chilton have already become fan-favorite highlights on social media — proof that the show can still mine comedy from two stubborn people refusing to admit they're alike.

How to Watch

The ten-episode season airs weekly on Wednesdays on Apple TV, with the finale set to land on October 7, 2026. That gives newcomers plenty of time to catch up — and yes, you'll want the tissues. Some things about Ted Lasso never change.

Believe. Again.