‘Ted Lasso’ Season 4 Is Both a Promising Reboot and a Tedious Sequel: TV Review
What's happening
Apple TV's "Ted Lasso" has returned for a fourth season three years after its third season finale, marking a revival of the sports comedy-drama that faced poor critical reception yet maintained strong viewership. The new season is being positioned as both a fresh start and a continuation of the show's established story.
Who's involved
Apple TV+, the subscription streaming service owned by Apple that launched in 2019 and now has over 45 million paid memberships, is behind the show's revival. "Ted Lasso" was developed by Jason Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt, and Joe Kelly, and is based on a character Sudeikis previously portrayed in NBC Sports promotional content for England's Premier League coverage.
Why it matters
The season's return demonstrates how streaming services balance critical reception against viewership metrics and profit incentives when deciding whether to revive canceled shows. The framing of season four as simultaneously a reboot and sequel raises questions about how the show will balance audience expectations with fresh storytelling after a three-year gap.
The story
Apple TV has brought back "Ted Lasso" for a fourth season, nearly three years after the sports comedy-drama's third installment seemed to have concluded the series. The revival comes despite the show's third season receiving poor critical reviews, though it maintained substantial viewership—a combination that clearly justified the financial investment in continuing the story for the streaming service.
The show, developed by Jason Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt, and Joe Kelly, originated from a character Sudeikis portrayed in promotional media for NBC Sports' coverage of England's football Premier League. It evolved into a full series following Ted Lasso, an American college football coach hired to manage an English football team whose owner secretly hopes his inexperience will sabotage the club. Instead, Lasso's optimistic and folksy leadership approach defies expectations, forming the emotional core of the show.
According to Variety's review, the new season functions as something of a paradox—simultaneously attempting to reinvigorate the show with fresh energy while remaining tethered to its established narrative and character arcs. This dual nature reflects the creative challenge of reviving a series that had ostensibly reached its endpoint. The gap between seasons suggests the producers took time to recalibrate the show's direction, though whether that recalibration successfully addresses the issues that plagued season three remains the central question for both critics and viewers.
Apple TV+, which launched in 2019 and has grown to over 45 million paid memberships, has increasingly invested in high-profile revivals and continuations of its tentpole series. The decision to greenlight season four exemplifies how streaming services calculate renewal decisions differently than traditional networks, weighing critical reputation less heavily against raw viewing numbers and subscriber retention. A show that disappoints critics but keeps millions of people subscribing becomes a valuable property regardless of review scores.
For the "Ted Lasso" franchise, the return signals both opportunity and risk. The show must convince audiences skeptical after season three's reception while also offering something sufficiently new to justify its existence. How the writers have navigated the challenge of moving the story forward—or resetting it entirely—will likely determine whether the revival reinvigorates viewer interest or simply extends a declining property further than its creative narrative naturally allows.