The end of season 3, which happened in 2023, promised a lot of change and what seemed like a happy ending for much of the main cast. Among many other things, Ted (Jason Sudeikis) was heading back to the US to spend time with his son, Roy (Brett Goldstein) had just been promoted to head coach of AFC Richmond, Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt) got married at Stonehenge, and Richmond’s leadership group of Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham), Keeley (Juno Temple), and Higgins (Jeremy Swift) were flirting with the idea of launching a women’s team. It had the energy of a sitcom ending, and the episode was even called “So Long, Farewell.” But it’s that fledgling women’s team that spurs the show’s return.

The season 4 premiere almost feels like a different show at first, and that largely comes down to location. At the outset, Ted is working part-time at a grocery store in order to have more time to parent, and Rebecca, Keeley, and Higgins have come to Kansas City in an attempt to convince him to be the inaugural coach of the new team. It’s like a reunion episode of sorts, with old friends catching up for the first time in years, which helps viewers understand what has happened in that time. It also drags out Ted’s inevitable decision to say “yes” across a full episode.

The premiere serves as a transitory moment for this new era of Ted Lasso, and from there the show shifts back to England and takes on a much more familiar feel — but with some significant changes. Part of what makes season 4 feel like a reboot is the players. Ted and most of the rest of the coaching staff and club leadership are back, but the actual team itself is all new. That means that favorites like Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster), Sam Obisanya (Toheeb Jimoh), and Dani Rojas (Cristo Fernández) aren’t in the show at all aside from some brief mentions (or at least they weren’t featured in any of the five episodes Apple provided press ahead of time). In their place is a scrappy squad of up-and-coming players, and an assistant coach named Alice (Tanya Reynolds) who provides a more stern counterpoint to Ted’s relentless optimism.

It’s a risky bet eschewing beloved characters for a bunch of newcomers, but, at least early on, season 4 of Ted Lasso manages to recapture much of what made the show such a success, but in a new context. The players on Richmond’s women’s side aren’t coddled millionaires, but rather athletes trying to find their way in a still underfunded and undersupported field. One thing I appreciate is that it doesn’t gloss over the very real challenges of women’s football, from lackluster media support and facilities to the rash of devastating injuries that plague its players. This provides plenty of opportunities for Ted to learn and impart his folksy wisdom, and for the eclectic new cast to reflect this challenging landscape. There’s an intense goalkeeper who was ignored by bigger clubs because she refuses to wear gloves (Jude Mack), a mom who made the team after spontaneously deciding to attend an open tryout (Faye Marsay), and a star striker who is balancing her athletic career with getting a law degree (Abbie Hern).

Recapturing the exact magic that made Ted Lasso’s early seasons such a phenomenon is probably impossible, and the new season is premiering at a very different time for Apple TV. Much has happened since its 2020 debut — service-defining shows like Severance and Pluribus didn’t even exist then — but many of those changes also bode well for Ted Lasso. Not only is Apple TV seemingly on an upward trajectory, but a controversial yet very successful men’s World Cup has reignited interest in the sport (particularly in the US), while the next women’s World Cup looms on the horizon. Those seem like prime circumstances for an impactful return for Ted and friends. The show may have changed, but its importance for Apple hasn’t.

_{Ted Lasso season 4 starts streaming on Apple TV on August 5th.}