Three years after the beloved Apple TV series Ted Lasso came to a conclusive end, it has returned for a fourth season. But try to resist getting your hopes too high — it's a cack-handed, cringey mess that manages to say nothing of value in 40 minutes.
A Sharp Decline from the Show's Former Glory
The show once had the nation in a chokehold, warming the hearts of even the toughest critics with its unabashed wholesome patter and original quick-witted comedy. However, by the time 2023 rolled around, the show felt overly lengthened from something that first began as a skit, and it seemed high time that the characters fulfilled their arcs.
So the show concluded with AFC Richmond thriving, Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) heading back home to his family, Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) with her heart seemingly repaired by new love, and her ex-husband (Anthony Head) ousted from football. Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) and Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster) were finally friends, with Keeley Jones (Juno Temple) choosing herself over a romance with either one of them, and all was right in the world.
A Reboot Nobody Really Needed
Every loose end was neatly tied up in the season three finale, which is why season four perhaps feels like a weird reboot that nobody really needed. Unfortunately, the first episode kicks off not with a bang but with a whimper, with the audience introduced to themes and plots with clumsy, blundering devices.
The show begins with Ted in his new life in the US, working as a cashier at a supermarket. The show has never shied away from its comfortable position on the moral high ground, and immediately we are shown a nonsensical scene to remind viewers that Ted is still the same good man we all knew and loved — no matter his environment. Ted manages to stop a colleague shoplifting by pretending to shoplift himself, and wouldn't you know it, his boss doesn't even care; in fact, he gives him the rest of the afternoon off! And so we are launched into this new stateside version of Ted Lasso.
Cheap Jokes and Nostalgia Bait
Later, the episode also fired out an uncomfortable joke about masturbation and then shoe-horned in a TikTok algorithm joke that felt like a very awkward attempt to try and stay on-trend, rather than the more natural and clever joke writing that the show had become known for. The rest of the episode also shoved in some of its stalwart themes without much success, jamming in Keeley and Rebecca's girl power trip as filler without managing to add anything of substance to the episode — apart from a faint reminder that the show used to write female characters and friendship between women very well.
Similarly, a trip to a museum celebrating Black baseball players failed to add any meat to the bones of this hollow episode — apart from a cheap comparison to the way Black people were treated in baseball in the US, and how women were treated by the football league in the UK — yikes. The episode is full of forgettable moments and felt like a necessary chore to get through in order to get back to London.
A Glimmer of Hope at the End
And yet, the last few minutes of the show felt like there could be a little light at the end of the tunnel. Episode one ends with Ted deciding to return to the UK to coach the women's team, but this time with his family in tow. This leaves the second episode full of possibility with completely new family dynamics in play, new characters set to be introduced from Richmond women's team and staff, and romantic tension between Ted and his ex-wife to be explored.
Maybe the jokes and plots from the first episode felt more obvious because for some audiences this will be their introduction to the series, and taking a broad brush stroke to humour is an easier way to introduce personalities and character dynamics — even though it likely left long-term fans on the back foot. However, good will from viewers who have loved the first three seasons will mean that audiences will certainly continue to watch season four. Hopefully the season finds its footing when it's back in Richmond.
Ted Lasso season four is available to view on Apple TV now.
