Ted Lasso has officially returned for a fourth season, defying expectations after the show finished as the most-watched streaming original of 2023. Audiences expecting a conventional path for the titular character will be surprised to find him working at a local supermarket in south-west London. Rather than chasing professional success in the US or college football, Ted continues to radiate his characteristic kindness, greeting customers by name and offering moral support to his younger colleagues, embodying the selfless, ego-free persona that fans have come to love.
For dedicated followers of the show, the fourth season offers a return to its familiar, anodyne atmosphere centered on positivity and togetherness. However, critics of the series may find the setup to be as twee and disconnected from reality as ever, noting its fairytale version of London and vague transatlantic sensibilities. Those who find the show’s emotional manipulation off-putting may remain unconvinced, as the series continues to prioritize its signature brand of earnest, feel-good storytelling over gritty naturalism.
A significant change this season is the shift in focus toward women’s football. This transition introduces tougher, more grounded challenges, including the chronic lack of investment in the women’s game, as well as real-world issues like injury, motherhood, and pregnancy. Ted is joined by a new assistant coach, Alice Chilton, played by Tanya Reynolds. As a dour taskmaster who was overlooked for the head coach position, Alice serves as a source of tension; her relationship with Ted is complicated by his limited access to the changing room and his efforts to navigate the team’s dynamics through his signature psychological approach.
Despite these new stakes, the first four episodes struggle to build consistent tension. The show often leans on established, comfortable character dynamics—such as the ongoing will-they-won’t-they relationship between Roy Kent and Keeley—rather than fully developing the new team members beyond a few specific archetypes like a tough goalie and two squabbling Irish sisters. Yet, the appeal of the show remains intact for many. With its bright colors, predictable comic beats, and commitment to kindness, the series functions as a well-oiled machine. Much like the work of Taylor Swift, it is efficient, dorky, and unapologetically sincere. While some viewers may drift away due to the shift toward the women's game, the show remains a saccharine, comforting staple of the Apple TV landscape.
If you are already a Ted Lasso ultra, you may be inclined to gloss over the twee nonsensicality of this fourth season’s setup and simply sink back into the show’s anodyne atmosphere, one that revolves around messages of positivity, togetherness and how good it is when your football team wins. If you bristle at such blatant emotional button-pushing, you might come to another conclusion: Ted Lasso is fake and phoney, to use the kind of Americanism this show loves putting into the mouths of its British characters (who calls it “the John Lewis Christmas commercial”?!). From the vague transatlanticism and fairytale London to the football-based inaccuracies and stiffly unreal vibe, Ted Lasso rarely bears any relation to reality. This is not a show for pedants.
