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Jason Sudeikis reveals very different original idea for Ted Lasso season 4
The beloved moustached character is heading back to AFC Richmond for a new season
Apple TV
- James Hibbs
- , Tilly Pearce
Published: Sunday, 2 August 2026 at 9:00 am
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Ted Lasso is returning to AFC Richmond for a new season on the pitch – but the beloved series almost went in a completely different direction.
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As season 4 kicks off on 5 August, the moustached football manager (played by Jason Sudeikis) finds himself lured from his home of Kansas back to the UK to help train the female team at the long-standing club.
Dubbed the Lady Greyhounds, the team is in the Second Division and in need of a shake-up: one only Ted Lasso can give.
While his return to Richmond is welcomed by fans, Sudeikis admits season 4 almost looked completely different – and a world away from the show’s South-West London home.
Speaking exclusively to Radio Times, Sudeikis said: "[In] the early, early stages, we had a couple ideas of maybe coaching over here in the States.
Brendan Hunt, Jason Sudeikis and Tanya Reynolds star in Ted Lasso season 4. Apple TV
"To keep Rebecca and the Richmond family in the mix, maybe she bought a team over here, maybe a women's team over here. But then the natural thing just felt like… just locking into the women's team and then accepting the premise that 'No, he's going to go back.'"
He added that the next hurdle would be figuring out how to get Ted to go back on UK soil, especially after he decided to return to Kansas to be closer to his son, Henry, at the end of season 3.
"The why, that's part of the fun of writing," he said. "And usually those kind of whys happen really quickly, because then you can get to the fun of character building with the new characters and coming up with stories and story arcs and just get to the writing.
"Even though there's a great deal of thinking, a lot of times in writing, sometimes I think people would be shocked how much more thinking and talking there is than actual fingers on keys," Sudeikis added.
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"But you just gotta accept that premise and just support it in whatever way possible, and that's what we end up going with pretty quickly."
With the new team comes a whole new host of characters to get to know and love, with Brendan Hunt, who plays Coach Beard, adding during the discussion that Tanya Reynolds – who will be starring alongside them as the female Coach – became a key member of the established "Diamond Dogs" within the management office.
"What was incredible about Tanya was that she didn't shake it up; like she just fit right in," he told us. "Especially the scenes where we're triangulated at our desks and bantering with each other.
"Those were far and away the most fun scenes to shoot this season."
Ted Lasso season 4 starts 5 August on Apple TV. Seasons 1-3 are streaming now – you can sign up to Apple TV+ here.
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Authors
James HibbsDrama Writer
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
Tilly PearceFreelance Writer
Tilly Pearce is a freelance TV journalist whose coverage ranges from reality shows like Love Is Blind to sci-fi shows like Fallout. She is an NCTJ Gold Standard accredited journalist, who has previously worked as Deputy TV Editor (maternity cover) at Digital Spy, and Deputy TV & Showbiz Editor at Daily Express US.
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