Jason Sudeikis Returns for Ted Lasso Season 4 to Coach a Women’s Team

Jason Sudeikis has officially returned to his role as the optimistic soccer coach in the fourth season of Ted Lasso, bringing the Apple TV series back following a hiatus of more than three years, according to reporting from Deadline and AARP.

The fourth season premiere, which debuted on August 5, finds Ted back in his hometown of Kansas City working at Fowch’s Fine Foods after leaving his life in London behind to be closer to his son Henry, played by Grant Feely, as reported by Deadline. While Ted rings up customers at the local grocery store register, characters Rebecca, played by Hannah Waddingham, Leslie, played by Jeremy Swift, and Keeley, played by Juno Temple, arrive outside his house to offer him a new coaching position.

Although Ted initially declines the offer to coach a new women’s team and watches Henry’s soccer match, he ultimately decides to take a shot in the dark after looking at mementos from his Richmond days. He texts his ex Michelle, played by Andrea Anders, and both agree to join him for a new adventure in England, according to Deadline.

Speaking about the character’s mindset in the new episodes, Sudeikis shared with Deadline that Ted is initially hiding out a bit and taking a part-time job rather than burning through the money he made as a head coach of a Premier League team.

When we first meet him, he’s really just dad-ing it up. He took on a side gig, and it is obvious he preserved his earnings from his three-season tenure leading a Premier League club. He is keeping a low profile for a moment, gradually piecing together a fresh approach to navigating this familiar scenario from the ground up.

Jason Sudeikis via Deadline

The upcoming episodes mark Ted’s first time training women, introducing a fresh dynamic for a character who spent three seasons as the head coach of a Premier League team. Sudeikis noted to Deadline that Ted approaches the team with a recognition of his own limited experience in mentoring women.

Coaching women for the first time in his life… arguably, he has a complicated relationship with women. He’s certainly not practiced in mentoring and coaching. Raising a young daughter feels comparable; you lack certainty regarding appropriate actions, permissible behaviors, proper boundaries, and general expectations…

Jason Sudeikis via Deadline

New Team Members and Background Context

The new women’s team features Boots, played by Jude Mack, alongside cheeky twin sisters Niamh and Siobhan, played by Aisling Sharkey and Rex Hayes respectively. Additional squad members include Margy, played by Mercedes Assad, and her girlfriend Mady, played by Annelise Heywood, with further cast additions slated for subsequent episodes. Before Ted arrives in England, the players are trained by Assistant Coach Alice Chilton, played by Tanya Reynolds, whom Deadline describes as a lovely and devoted leader lacking in self-confidence.

The return of the series also highlights the personal motivation behind Sudeikis’s creative choice. In a July 22 interview with The Hollywood Reporter cited by AARP, Sudeikis, 50, explained that he felt a personal need for the show’s return.

I know I needed this. I needed it as much as other people do.

Jason Sudeikis via AARP and The Hollywood Reporter

Ahead of the season premiere, Sudeikis and co-star Brendan Hunt appeared in character as Ted Lasso and Coach Beard during the FIFA World Cup Final halftime show on July 19, delivering a pep talk to singer Justin Bieber, according to AARP. Sudeikis has earned four Emmy Awards for his work on the series and is reportedly hoping for another three-season arc, as detailed by The Hollywood Reporter and AARP.