In the three years since Ted Lasso’s third season came to a close, there’s been a lot of debate both about whether it would come back and whether it should come back. Now, Season 4 has premiered on the 2026 TV schedule, and I feel like it fully justifies Ted’s return both to AFC Richmond and our screens. However, critics are split on the matter, which was surprising to me.
I Fully Believe In Ted Lasso’s Return
When I watched the first four episodes of Ted Lasso’s fourth season, I was shocked by how it felt like both a return to form and a fresh take on the soccer show we know and love. While I was worried about how they’d get Ted back to England to coach Richmond’s women’s team, that anxiety was eliminated by the show meaningfully addressing Season 3’s end and catapulting Ted and co. into a new chapter.
Overall, I love how the show brought back characters we know and love, and added an entirely new ensemble for them to work with. The return of Ted (Jason Sudeikis), Keeley (Juno Temple), Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham), and more keeps things familiar and continues the stories we love. Meanwhile, the addition of a women’s team introduces a new and important challenge, and brings the funny and a needed freshness to the series.
After the first four episodes, I felt eager for more, and I cannot wait to get to know this team of Lady Greyhounds. I thought critics would feel that way too, considering this really feels like a return to form after a bumpy third season. I was wrong...
Many Reviews Don’t Think Ted Lasso’s Return Is Justified
While Ted Lasso is considered one of Apple TV’s best shows, the third season wasn’t its best, and its end felt final. So, when critics tuned into Season 4, many were keen to know if this show would be able to pull off a return. Sadly, quite a few are not buying it; as Ben Travers from IndieWire wrote, it feels like the titular coach is “still off his game.”
No matter how you see the series, joke first or hope heavy, meticulous craftsmanship is not its strong suit. 'Ted Lasso' Season 4 doesn’t beat the charges, nor does it earn its return, even beyond the questionable rationale by which Ted returns to Richmond. The fourth season, with new showrunner Jack Burditt ('The Santa Clauses,' '30 Rock'), remains torn between two worlds and continues to suffer from the same tonal imbalances that felled the former final season.
The review argues that Ted’s return was too convenient and unjustified; it also criticizes the show’s lack of risk and stakes. Overall, Travers concludes that for Ted Lasso to justify its return, it needs to “offer clearer reasons to believe.”
Meanwhile, Time’s Judy Berman dove into how the show depicts Ted’s relationships with the women’s team. Noting that this season “doesn’t quite work” and highlighting the minimal interactions Ted has with the new players, the critic wrote:
No longer a tutorial in how to be a good man, Ted Lasso returns as, in parts, a gentle rejoinder to sexism in sports and a gift to those still shipping Roy and Keeley, but mostly a workplace comfort show about nothing in particular. TV could certainly use more scripted stories about women athletes—a Friday Night Lights for softball, a Winning Time for the WNBA, a sapphic hockey romance in the mold of Heated Rivalry and Off Campus. But a different coach is going to have to inspire those locker rooms, because Ted Lasso just doesn’t belong.
Variety’s Alison Herman thinks the new season has potential, but it’s a bit too stuck in the past. Noting that she feels like the show is only really developing one of its new characters (Tanya Reynolds’ coach Alice) and overusing old characters like Roy and Beard, she explains:
Figures like Roy and Ted’s longtime deputy Beard (series co-creator Brendan Hunt) would be better deployed as occasional cameos, yet they remain load-bearing — and space-occupying — protagonists. The consequences can border on the absurd: a major decision by Ted’s ex-wife Michelle (Andrea Anders) is sped through rather than shown from her perspective; an episode hinges on a team problem with cliques that’s only depicted onscreen far too late.
As you can see, plenty of critics are not convinced by Ted Lasso's return, and they have some notes on how the coach and his team could improve. However, not everyone is upset about this season.
Other Reviews Are Choosing To Be Curious, Not Judgemental
Now, I'm not the only one who is still believing in this show. Tania Hussain explains in Collider’s review that the writing of Season 4 and the introduction of the women’s team gives this show a brand new conflict that’s incredibly meaningful. And because of that, this is still a show worth watching:
Its central philosophy, paired with Ted’s optimism, empathy, and belief in people, remains the heart of Ted Lasso, except this new team is being tested by issues that kindness alone can’t solve. This evolution elevates the show's overall thoughtfulness rather than repeating a winning formula, proving there’s still meaningful ground for the Apple TV series to cover.
Matthew Creith calls Ted Lasso’s return “triumphant” in The Wrap’s review, explaining that mixing the old cast and stories with an entirely new team works very well. Overall, it “delivers never-ending gut punches of humor and heart that hardly ever lose a step in its return.” Ellaborating on that idea, this review states:
The show’s triumphant return brings a sense of belonging and warmth that television dearly misses since the series left three years ago. Not only is it a sigh of relief to welcome Ted back to England, but it’s also a reboot of sorts that, in this modern era of reboots aplenty, does something spectacular: it actually delivers as intended.
Meanwhile, Ryan Schwartz’s review for TV Line is cautious, but still positive. Calling the choice to slowly introduce members of the women's team “wise,” and noting that Episode 2 does a good job of “recapturing the feel-good vibes that defined Season 1,” the critic sees promise. So, while the comedy still has something to prove, and it was given a B+ in this review, the critic is optimistic:
As it stands, ‘Ted Lasso’ Season 4 is already a marked improvement over Season 3. And if it continues to recapture even some of the magic of the show's first two seasons? Well, that'd just be barbecue sauce.
Overall, the critics are quite divided on Ted Lasso’s newest season. This was shocking to me, since I firmly believe it returns to form in a funny and meaningful way while also introducing a set of complex challenges women's sports constantly face. However, clearly, not everyone agrees.
So, with that said, it’s time for you to decide for yourself. Remember, as Ted says, “be curious, not judgemental,” and stream Ted Lasso with an Apple TV subscription (new episodes drop on Wednesdays) to make up your own mind on whether this show deserved a comeback.
