Don’t get me wrong, I’m thrilled that Season 4 of Ted Lasso will follow AFC Richmond’s women's team. I can’t wait to meet a new cast of characters, and I’m looking forward to seeing the new dynamics created among the ensemble when the show returns on the 2026 TV schedule. However, this big update also means not everyone from the original cast could return. It turns out, Jason Sudeikis personally called those actors too to break the sad news to them.
As of right now, actors like Toheeb Jimoh (Sam), Cristo Fernández (Danny), Phil Dunster (Jamie) and more will not be back for Ted Lasso Season 4. All these guys played important members of the AFC Richmond men’s team. However, with the focus shifting over to a whole new team, there wasn’t room to bring them back. Speaking to THR about making this choice, Jason Sudeikis said it was “very difficult” to call the guys and break this news to them. He also explained why it was vital for them to learn this news from him:
Because I didn’t want them to hear it on the internet, and because I love those guys and we all went through something together.
I can imagine how hard it must have been to both make and receive that call. For three seasons, this group was not only a team on screen, but off too. They experienced a phenomenon together as they made one of Apple TV’s greatest shows. So, finding out you won’t be returning for Season 4 must have been a hard pill to swallow.
I’m happy, though, that Jason Sudeikis personally called them all. I imagine this news was much easier to process after having a conversation rather than finding out about it online.
However, this is the way television works: casts evolve, stories shift and that causes big changes. In Ted Lasso’s case, this meant bringing in a full new team of female soccer players, and saying so long to the men’s team.
Of course, I’m optimistic the guys could make cameos. I mean, both Brendan Hunt and Brett Goldstein are in Season 4, and the last time we saw Beard and Roy, they were coaching the men. So, I don’t think it’s far-fetched to think we could see someone like Jamie or Danny pop in for a minute or two. However, we do know that no matter what, the guys will not be the regular players they were in Seasons 1 through 3.
Instead, a whole new team of women will be introduced. This new cast of characters will be played by Tanya Reynolds, Jude Mack, Faye Marsay, Rex Hayes, Aisling Sharkey and Abbie Hern. Grant Feely has also joined the cast, and he’ll be taking over the role of Ted’s son, Henry (who was played by Gus Turner in the first three seasons).
The cast is not entirely new, though. As mentioned earlier, Sudeikis will, obviously, be back as Ted, and he’ll be joined by Brett Goldstein and Brendan Hunt, who play his fellow coaches, Roy Kent and Coach Beard. Hannah Waddingham will also return as the team’s owner, Rebecca. Juno Temple and Jeremy Swift will be reprising their roles as Keeley and Higgins, respectively, as well.
So, overall, Ted Lasso will be missing some familiar faces, and as the show’s lead said, it was hard to break that news to them. However, now, we get to enter a new chapter of AFC Richmond’s history with some of the characters we love and a whole new set of folks we get to learn about. To do that (and to spend time with the lads from Seasons 1 through 3), you can stream Ted Lasso with an Apple TV subscription and catch the premiere of Season 4 on August 5.
