AFC Richmond is headed back to the pitch, and their coach is coming with them.
After more than a year of speculation, Apple TV+ has ordered a fourth season of its Emmy-winning comedy Ted Lasso. The pickup comes after co-creator and star Jason Sudeikis closed a deal to reprise his role as the title character, the manager of the fictional AFC Richmond soccer club in London.
“Ted Lasso has been nothing short of a juggernaut, inspiring a passionate fanbase all over the world, and delivering endless joy and laughter, all while spreading kindness, compassion and unwavering belief,” Matt Cherniss, head of programming for Apple TV+, said in a statement. “Everyone at Apple is thrilled to be continuing our collaboration with Jason and the brilliant creative minds behind this show.”
Speculation about a possible fourth season has been ongoing since season three concluded in May 2023. The show’s creative team has said a decision would hinge largely on Sudeikis committing to continue. Co-creator and executive producer Bill Lawrence told The Hollywood Reporter at the Writers Guild of America Awards in Feburary, “You will find that anybody involved with Ted Lasso will say the same thing: Our fearless leader Jason Sudeikis will talk about that when he’s ready. I’m sure he’s somewhere right now at SNL[‘s 50th anniversary show] answering the same question.”
Details on season four are slight at the moment. THR reported in August 2024 that Warner Bros. TV, which produces Ted Lasso, had picked up options for actors Hannah Waddingham (Richmond owner Rebecca Welton), Brett Goldstein (player-turned-assistant coach Roy Kent) and Jeremy Swift (Richmond’s football director Leslie Higgins) in anticipation of a possible fourth season. Apple TV+ is not confirming any casting beyond that of Sudeikis, but sources tell THR that Juno Temple is in negotiations to reprise her role as Keeley Jones, and Brendan Hunt — also a co-creator and executive producer — is close to signing on to play Coach Beard again. Additionally, Jack Burditt (Nobody Wants This, 30 Rock) is joining the series as an executive producer as part of a new overall deal with Apple TV+
Sudeikis offered some hint at the theme of the coming season in a statement, saying, “As we all continue to live in a world where so many factors have conditioned us to look before we leap, in season four, the folks at AFC Richmond learn to LEAP BEFORE THEY LOOK, discovering that wherever they land, it’s exactly where they’re meant to be.”
Season three of Ted Lasso ended with Ted choosing to return to the United States and be closer to his son (Gus Turner) and ex-wife (Andrea Anders), hinting at a reconciliation between them, while other members of the Richmond team were moving into new phases of their lives. Season three is Apple TV+’s most watched show to date and finished 2023 as the No. 1 original streaming series in the United States, according to Nielsen.
The season three cast also featured Phil Dunster, Nick Mohammed, Toheeb Jimoh, Kola Bokinni, Cristo Fernández, Billy Harris, Stephen Manas and Annette Badland, among others.
“If ever there was a show the world needed more of right now, it would be Ted Lasso,” said Channing Dungey, chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. TV and WBD U.S. Networks. “We — along with countless fans around the globe — have been rooting for another season, and it is an incredible feeling to be able to say, ‘Yes, it’s happening!’ We thank our partners at Apple and can’t wait for Jason and the entire Ted Lasso dream team to step back onto the pitch and deliver another season of this phenomenal series.”
Sudeikis, Lawrence, Joe Kelly and Hunt developed Ted Lasso, based on a character Sudeikis played in a series of ads for NBC Sports promoting the company’s English Premier League coverage. They will executive produce season four along with Burditt, Jane Becker, Jamie Lee, Bill Wrubel, writers Goldstein and Leanne Bowen, and Jeff Ingold and Liza Katzer of Lawrence’s Doozer Productions.
Sara Walker and Phoebe Walsh are writers and producers on season four. Sasha Garron co-produces. Writer Julia Lindon and story editor Dylan Marron are also on staff. Warner Bros. TV produces in association with Doozer and Universal TV.
