"Ted Lasso" has returned to Apple TV for a fourth season, three years after season 3 appeared to close out the show's story. The new season opens with Ted (Jason Sudeikis) back in Kansas City working as an assistant manager at a supermarket and co-parenting his son, Henry, with his ex-wife. Despite a stable home life, Ted is restless and missing coaching, which leads him back to AFC Richmond when Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham), Keeley (Juno Temple) and Higgins (Jeremy Swift) offer him a new job: coaching the club's new women's team, known as the 'Lady Greyhounds.'
According to Tom's Guide's review, based on the first five episodes, the shift to a women's team gives the show fresh characters, storylines and tension, since Ted has to learn that coaching this team won't work exactly like it did with the men, including basics like not being able to wander into the locker room whenever he wants. The team has its own personalities and cliques, and existing coach Alice Chilton (Tanya Reynolds), described as the standout among new cast members, is determined to prove herself, often coming across as prickly in contrast to Ted's optimism and Beard's dry moodiness.
The new season also uses the women's team to explore the disparities between men's and women's sports, including storylines about funding, facilities and fan interest, according to Tom's Guide. This creates conflict for Rebecca as she weighs how much to invest in the women's team and what that means for her self-image as a feminist, at times putting her at odds with Keeley, though their friendship and working partnership remain among the show's strongest relationships.
Familiar characters remain part of the season: Roy (Brett Goldstein) is less present since the men's team has been pushed to the background, but he gets a comedic dating storyline, and his on-and-off romance with Keeley continues. Ted's ongoing struggles with mental health also continue to run through the season, per Tom's Guide's viewing guide. Beard's on-again-off-again relationship with Jane also returns, which the review describes as one of the show's more cringe-inducing elements. There is also a greater emphasis on romance overall, including Rebecca's relationship with her Dutch boyfriend and a possible new love interest for Ted.
Tom's Guide's review rates the season four stars, calling it a 'welcome return to form' that recaptures a first-season feeling despite not needing to exist and not reaching the show's earlier peak. The review credits the new team with preventing the revival from becoming a pure nostalgia lap while praising Sudeikis, Waddingham, Temple, Goldstein, Brendan Hunt and Swift for keeping the hangout-comedy chemistry intact.
Season 4 consists of ten episodes and is streaming weekly on Apple TV, with episode 1, titled 'Home,' premiering August 5, followed by 'Curiouser and Curiouser!,' 'Richmond's Got Talent,' 'Greyhound's Day Off' and further episodes airing weekly through October 7. Apple TV offers a seven-day free trial that can allow new subscribers to watch the season for free if timed correctly, and Tom's Guide notes that viewers outside their home country can use a VPN such as NordVPN to access the show while traveling.