The fourth season of Ted Lasso has been met with a wave of largely negative and mixed reviews, with one critic branding it "pointless and cynical."
The Apple TV sports comedy, starring Jason Sudeikis and Hannah Waddingham, has returned three years after its third season aired. In the previous season, Lasso returned to America after AFC Richmond narrowly missed out on the Premier League title.
Lasso's return to Richmond
In the new season, Lasso is lured back to the UK, this time as the manager of the Richmond women's team. The Independent, giving the season two stars out of four, described it as "pointless and cynical" and felt the latest episodes were "flat." The review noted, "While the show has always been gently amusing rather than laugh-out-loud funny, this new series does feel acutely short of gags."
Variety was also critical, saying that most new characters are sidelined, with only new women's coach Alice Chilton (Tanya Reynolds) feeling "fully formed," leading to a sense of "overcrowding." The publication wrote, "Season 4 reins in some excesses and offers glimpses of fresh new faces: a walk-on player who's also a single mom; a goalie who refuses to wear gloves; a new mentor for Rebecca, played by comic legend Tracey Ullmann. If only the show would clear the field for them."
Mixed reviews and praise
The Hollywood Reporter criticized the season's "creaky pacing" and said the show was struggling to "find anywhere interesting left to go." While praising new showrunner Jack Burditt for cleaning up "the show's worst excesses," the review added, "The problem is that, having rid itself of its messier elements, Ted Lasso has replaced them with…well, not much of anything, really."
In a more mixed review, The Telegraph awarded the fourth season three out of five stars, writing that the show still manages to strike the "surprisingly delicate balance between the sickly-sweet and the smutty." However, the publication noted that Sudeikis previously claimed season three would be the show's last, writing, "The implication being that three servings of Lasso were enough both for him and the audience. He was probably right."
The Guardian also gave the season three out of five stars, noting that the show's "fairytale London" and "football-based inaccuracies" mean it doesn't bear "any relation to reality." However, the review added that there is still plenty on offer for loyal fans, writing, "A sense of quality entertainment still hangs about the whole well-oiled endeavour."
Radio Times was more positive, giving the new season four out of five stars and praising the introduction of the women's football team and the addition of Reynolds to the cast. The publication wrote, "It's just Lasso, with all that denotes: a colourful, friendly comedy where the plot lines and the lessons given by the stories tend towards the cheesy, but are so warmly heartfelt that it's hard to object."
