Now that Ted Lasso season 4 has been officially confirmed, the show has set up plenty of exciting storylines for it to explore, like Ted’s return to Kansas and the creation of the Richmond women’s team. Season 3 was billed as the show’s final season and its final episode was billed as the series finale, so it was taken as a definitive ending. But it left the door open for season 4 with a few lingering plot threads, and now, it looks as though Apple is taking advantage of that open door to keep the series going.
While Ted Lasso season 4 hasn’t been officially greenlit, the series is moving in that direction. It’s been reported that three Ted Lasso stars have signed deals to return for another season: Hannah Waddingham, who plays Rebecca Welton; Brett Goldstein, who plays Roy Kent and also works as a writer on the show; and Jeremy Swift, who plays Leslie Higgins. Warner Bros. worked out their deals with the UK acting union, Equity, and is expected to negotiate the American actors’ deals with SAG-AFTRA soon. If season 4 is really happening, there are a lot of storylines for it to explore.
Ted Lasso’s season 3 finale brought the story full circle with Ted returning to Kansas to reconnect with his son Henry and his ex-wife Michelle. Although some viewers read the ending to mean that Ted and Michelle have gotten back together, it seems more likely that they’re just on good terms, committed to co-parenting Henry. It would undo a lot of Ted’s character development surrounding the divorce to have Michelle take him back.
Season 3 ended with Ted coaching Henry’s soccer team in Kansas. He’s shown to bring the positivity he used to coach Richmond to his new coaching gig. Even if season 4 eventually brings Ted back to England, it could start out with Ted coaching Henry’s team and using the lessons he learned from his time in the UK to lead them to victory.
9 The Creation Of The AFC Richmond Women’s Team
At the end of Ted Lasso season 3, Keeley and her friend and colleague Barbara reopened their PR firm. One of their first orders of business was to sponsor a Richmond women’s team. Keeley brought the proposal for a women’s team to Rebecca and Rebecca instantly accepted it. This seemed to set up a spin-off series focused on Rebecca and Keeley starting a women’s team and recruiting a whole new cast of characters to make up the squad.
But now that the show is getting a fourth season, the women’s team could be folded into the mainline series. Keeley and Rebecca’s friendship is one of the most endearing parts of the show, and this is a great way to bring them together. This could lead to some interesting conflicts, too, like maybe the women’s team will outshine the men’s team, leading to some friction between the players.
8 The Fans’ 49% Ownership Of Richmond
To show her appreciation to the fan base that led Richmond to victory, Rebecca sold 49% of the team to the fans at the end of Ted Lasso season 3. Diehard Richmond fans Baz, Paul, and Jeremy have always been three of the show’s fan-favorite characters – not to mention Mae, the owner of the Crown & Anchor, who might love Richmond even more than they do. Giving the fans a stake in the team is an opportunity to give them a bigger role on the show.
The fans have always felt a sense of entitlement when it comes to the management of Richmond, satirizing the way real-life football fans feel entitled to a say in how their favorite teams are run. Now that the fans own 49% of Richmond, they actually do have a say. It’ll be interesting to see how this changes the dynamic going forward.
7 Coach Beard’s Marriage To Jane
Coach Beard initially planned to return to Kansas with Ted in the season 3 finale, but when he was on the plane, he couldn’t bear to leave. He didn’t want to go back to Kansas; he wanted to stay in England and marry his on-and-off girlfriend Jane. In the finale’s Return of the King-style closing montage that showed where everyone ended up, Beard was seen marrying Jane in a pagan ritual at Stonehenge.
This was a controversial plot point, since Beard and Jane’s relationship has been shown to be nothing but toxic throughout the series. It wasn’t quite the happy ending that the finale made it out to be. But now that Ted Lasso is returning for season 4, the series has a chance to explore what a complicated and tumultuous marriage this would be.
6 Roy’s Sessions With Dr. Sharon
Sarah Niles joined the cast of Ted Lasso in season 2. She played Dr. Sharon Fieldstone, a therapist that Richmond hired to help its players with their mental health. She was initially hired for a temporary stint as the team’s therapist and left before the end of season 2. But she was brought back in season 3. She returned briefly to confirm Ted’s concern that his ex-wife dating their former couple’s counselor was unethical, then came back in a more permanent capacity in the finale.
In the finale, Richmond hires Dr. Sharon as their “Head of Mental Health,” and not only that; Roy decided to start taking sessions with her. Roy is so closed-off that he’s one of the players who needs therapy the most, but he was also one of the last holdouts. Season 4 can show the breakthroughs of Roy going to therapy.
5 Rebecca’s Relationship With The Guy From Amsterdam
In season 3, episode 6, “Sunflowers,” Richmond got up to all kinds of exploits after a friendly game in Amsterdam. Jamie taught Roy how to ride a bike, Ted got high and went to an American-themed restaurant, and Rebecca had a Before Sunrise-esque fleeting romance with a man who lives on a houseboat. In the season finale, Rebecca bumped into the man from the houseboat at the airport, where he was working as a pilot.
This seemed to set up a possible long-term romance between the two. One of the biggest obstacles in Rebecca’s dating life has been her busy schedule, but since pilots also have busy schedules, maybe they could make it work. Ted Lasso season 4 needs to have some follow-up on Rebecca’s relationship with the Amsterdam pilot after their surprise reunion in the season 3 finale.
4 Jamie Reconnects With His Dad
Jamie’s troubled relationship with his father was one of the most heartbreaking storylines in Ted Lasso. Seeing Jamie’s conflicts with his dad brought up Ted’s complicated feelings about his own father. In many ways, bad dads were the thematic backbone of the entire series. In the final montage of season 3, which wrapped up a lot of story threads and revealed where all the characters ended up, Jamie is seen reconnecting with his dad.
Much like Nate, Jamie’s dad did nothing to earn his forgiveness, but Jamie paid it forward and extended that forgiveness anyway. After the season 3 finale offered a hint that Jamie is patching things up with his dad, season 4 needs to follow up on that storyline. Jamie’s dad needs to genuinely change and prove that he’s worthy of his son’s forgiveness.
3 Sam Plays For Nigeria’s National Team
Thanks to his arch-nemesis, billionaire Edwin Akufo, Sam was always blocked from representing his country in the Nigerian national team. In season 3, episode 10, “International Break,” while other Richmond players were being called up to represent their countries, Sam was disheartened to find that he’d been snubbed, all because he refused to let Edwin buy out his contract. But in the season 3 finale, after Edwin’s magnificent downfall, that decision is finally reversed and Sam is finally called up to play on the national team.
And not only that; he’s playing with the number 10, which is usually reserved for the best player on the team. In Ted Lasso season 4, Sam’s tenure on the Nigerian national team can be explored in more depth. It’s another chance to explore Sam’s homesickness and his love for his home country.
2 Beard & Jane Have A Baby
Getting married wasn’t the only major development in Beard and Jane’s relationship at the end of Ted Lasso season 3. At the wedding, Jane is seen with a baby bump, suggesting she’s pregnant. As if marriage wasn’t going to be enough of a strain on this already very troubled relationship, now they’re bringing a child into the mix, too.
It would be suitably hilarious and heartwarming for Ted Lasso season 4 to focus on the team raising a baby together. There are countless opportunities for gags in bringing a baby into that locker room: Roy Kent changing diapers, Jamie reading fairy tales to put it to sleep. Fatherhood has always been a key theme in Ted Lasso, and seeing everyone on the team grapple with those responsibilities would be a natural evolution of that theme.
1 The Richmond Way Becomes A Smash Hit
All throughout Ted Lasso season 3, Trent Crimm shadowed Richmond so that he could write a book about their exploits. He originally titled it The Lasso Way, but Ted made him change it to The Richmond Way, because he didn’t believe the story was about him. Season 4 could reveal that The Richmond Way was a smash hit, bringing the inspirational story of AFC Richmond to national or even global attention.
If Ted Lasso season 4 wants to get really meta, Trent could sell the film rights to The Richmond Way and it could be turned into a movie within the Ted Lasso universe. This would be a great opportunity for A-list guest stars: Ed Helms could play Ted, Tom Hardy could play Roy, etc. But that might be a little too self-aware for Ted Lasso.
Summary
- Ted Lasso season 4 is confirmed and it has plenty of exciting storylines to explore, like Ted coaching Henry’s team in Kansas.
- The Richmond women’s team created by Keeley and Rebecca could be included in season 4.
- The fans now own 49% of Richmond, which could lead to potential dynamic changes, intriguing conflicts, and more involvement.