TV Review: ‘Ted Lasso’ Season 4

(L to R) Tanya Reynolds and Jason Sudeikis in ‘Ted Lasso’ Season 4, premiering August 5, 2026 on Apple TV.

Arriving on Apple TV August 5th with the first episode (and nine more to follow weekly) of its fourth season, ‘Ted Lasso’ marks the somewhat surprising return for a show that all involved seemed to indicate had run its course in its previous three seasons.

Air Date: August 14th, 2020

The cast is led by Jason Sudeikis (‘Horrible Bosses’) as the title character, plus Hannah Waddingham (‘Game of Thrones’), Brett Goldstein (‘Shrinking’), Juno Temple (‘Venom: The Last Dance’) and Jeremy Swift (‘Mary Poppins Returns’) back reprising their characters, with a host of new additions as the story moves to a new chapter.

Related Article: Jason Sudeikis to Return as Apple TV+ Makes ‘Ted Lasso Season 4’ Official

Initial Thoughts

(L to R) Brendan Hunt, Jason Sudeikis and Tanya Reynolds in ‘Ted Lasso’ Season 4, premiering August 5, 2026 on Apple TV.

From its start as a feel-good favorite during the dog days of the pandemic, ‘Ted Lasso’ was that rare beast, a show born from an advertising concept that managed to also encompass a wide swathe of human emotion and the power of kindness.

But with the third season largely seen as a lesser finale to the story, what is there really to say going forward? That’s what Season 4 has to wrangle with.

Script and Direction

(L to R) Jason Sudeikis and Hannah Waddingham in ‘Ted Lasso’ Season 4, premiering August 5, 2026 on Apple TV.

With Sudeikis back in charge behind the scenes as well as on camera, sharing show-running duties with incoming TV veteran Jack Burditt (‘30 Rock’), Season 4’s scripts and character moments feel like something new while also calling back to what worked about the first two. Though it still has some way to go to replicate what we all loved about the initial run, the injection of new blood on both sides of the camera is a welcome one.

On the directorial front, the likes of Declan Lowney and MJ Delaney make sure the show still looks and feels like ‘Ted Lasso.’

Cast and Performances

(L to R) Jeremy Swift, Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple and Jason Sudeikis in ‘Ted Lasso’ Season 4, premiering August 5, 2026 on Apple TV.

Sudeikis slips back into being Ted –– a more settled man than we last saw him even in the third season finale –– with ease, the charm and wisdom intact.

Around him the returning likes of Brett Goldstein and Hannah Waddingham find new corners for their characters without dismissing what has gone before.

Yet the real highlight might be the new faces, especially Tanya Reynolds (‘Sex Education’) as coach Alice Chilton, a spiky yet deep-hearted new foil for Ted and co.

Final Thoughts

(L to R) Annette Badland, Grant Feely and Jason Sudeikis in ‘Ted Lasso’ Season 4, premiering August 5, 2026 on Apple TV.

Though it can’t quite compete with the highs of especially the first season, this new run at least has something new to say, a few compelling new characters, and doesn’t short change the returning cast. It might just make you believe anew.

‘Ted Lasso’ Season 4 receives 80 out of 100.

(L to R) Brendan Hunt, Jason Sudeikis and Tanya Reynolds in ‘Ted Lasso’ Season 4, premiering August 5, 2026 on Apple TV.

What’s the plot of ‘Ted Lasso’ Season 4?

Ted returns to Richmond, taking on his biggest challenge yet: coaching a second division women’s football team. Throughout the course of the season, Ted and the team learn to leap before they look, taking chances they never thought they would.

‘Ted Lasso’ Season 4, premieres August 5, 2026 on Apple TV.