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Ladies, gentlemen, and soccer enthusiasts of every generation—the pun-loving, cherished, mustachioed Ted Lasso is back. Following a three-year absence (one that was originally intended to be permanent), the acclaimed comedy has returned for an once-unthinkable fourth season, with the debut episode now streaming on Apple TV. (New episodes will drop every Wednesday through a finale on Oct. 7.)
As a refresher, season 3 wrapped up with our protagonist's heartfelt homecoming to Missouri, where he reconnected with his young son, Henry. Having successfully lifted the once-struggling AFC Richmond to new heights and changed the lives of those around him along the way, Ted had, at that point, declared his time across the pond complete. Style icon and businesswoman Keeley Jones, meanwhile, capped her storyline by pitching a women's team to reformed Richmond owner Rebecca Welton, while former team captain Roy Kent—once emotionally closed off and nearing the end of his playing days—stepped into the role of men's team coach.
In the season's opening episode, set several years after Ted's departure from the U.K., viewers receive an update on most of these characters, who travel to Kansas City to pitch Coach Lasso on a new opportunity overseas.
For a complete recap and review, continue reading below:
'Ted Lasso' S4E1 recap
Given the way S3 wrapped up, the opening episode of S4 is primarily about laying groundwork. Ted was firm in his decision to head back to the U.S.—the premiere, therefore, works to chip away at that resolve and introduce a measure of uncertainty into our hero's story.
We get a taste of that right from the episode's opening, which finds Ted working as a cashier at a grocery store, as cheerful and enthusiastic as ever. While strolling through the aisles, he bumps into a former football player, at which point Ted reveals he's working part-time at the store while "making up for lost time" with his son. Though she remains polite, the player's wife is visibly puzzled—the man her husband considers the greatest role model in his life works ... in food service? Already, the friction between Lasso's potential and his current reality begins to simmer.
Shortly afterward, Ted is called away from work early to meet his ex-wife, Michelle, at Henry's school. The issue turns out to be a non-problem (the principal simply didn't recognize Public Enemy lyrics scrawled in Henry's notebook), but doubt creeps in again when Ted spots kids playing soccer on the school grounds. He watches distractedly—and longingly—before driving home to his house on a picture-perfect suburban street.
Waiting for him there, parked in a large black car, are Rebecca, Keeley, and Rebecca's somewhat hapless personal assistant, Leslie Higgins, who makes a memorable entrance in sneakers and tall socks—one of the episode's biggest laughs.
Over Kansas City barbecue, the four catch each other up on the past couple of years. Ted says he's back home and "loving life." Keeley shares updates on the women's team—she's designed new kits and secured a sponsorship—and mentions that she and ex-boyfriend Roy are "really, really good friends" (though it's clear the situation is more complicated than that). Rebecca reveals that she and Matthijs—the charming Dutch man she shared a romantic moment with in S3—are in their "honeymoon period," signaling they are now an item. And Higgins just got heated flooring installed in his bathroom. Classic Higgins.
Of course, none of this explains why the three of them have made the trip. Keeley tries to pass it off as a research visit tied to the NWSL's K.C. Current, but Coach Lasso is understandably skeptical—of all the places in the world, these three ended up in Missouri? Rebecca, sensing he's already figured it out, comes clean; she tells him she wants Ted to take charge of Richmond's women's team, and Ted asks for time to think it over.
The following day, Coach Lasso attends a garage sale at his childhood home. By this point, he has already told Henry about the job offer in England and made clear he won't be accepting it. But while helping his mother, he is briefly overcome with emotion at his lack of emotion about his career. He presses his mom on why she—or anyone, really—never asks him about his work. She replies: "If you don't care about it, why should I?" The tension continues to mount.
Later that evening, Ted stands on the tarmac and says his goodbyes to Rebecca, Keeley, and Higgins. With a hint of regret, he tells his former boss he can't accept the position in Richmond and needs to stay home. Rebecca then hands Ted a small box and delivers the episode's central message: "Sometimes, home is just a state of mind."
Back at his house, a contemplative Ted steps into his office, cradling a cup of tea. (Rebecca's gift, he discovered, was a single tea bag with the note: "Ted, Let It Steep.") With a reflective air, the mustachioed man surveys the room, which is adorned with AFC Richmond memorabilia: a newspaper clipping by Trent Crimm; a soccer pitch assembled from LEGOs; a framed photo of him and Nathan Shelley. Moved, he pulls out his phone and texts Michelle: "What if we all moved to London?"
The reply that comes back is actually from Henry—the boy had taken his mom's phone, a callback to an earlier joke in the episode—but he says that both he and Michelle think "a change of scenery would be nice."
Ted smiles softly, then takes a sip of his tea. Predictably, he spits it out in disgust.
'Ted Lasso' S4E1 review
Ted Lasso
Nostalgia is everywhere these days. Nothing feels truly original; everything is rebooted, reimagined, or revived. In some cases, this approach pays off—look at The Devil Wears Prada 2, for instance, which surpassed $650 million worldwide two decades after the original debuted. For others, however, the attempt to recapture past magic results in an outright disappointment.
The worry surrounding a Ted Lasso revival was that the story had already reached its natural conclusion. Co-creator Jason Sudeikis had originally envisioned the show as a three-season arc, meaning that tacking on a fourth—however much devoted fans may have craved it—risked tarnishing the series's legacy. A show is ultimately judged by its final episode, and despite S3's flaws, the finale delivered; was it really worth unraveling that hard-earned ending for, what, a paycheck? Another trophy? Something to fill the time?
It's too soon to say whether S4 will be the triumphant comeback audiences are hoping for, but the opening episode is certainly a promising sign. The long-awaited premiere was every bit as warm, moving, and breezy a watch as fans will remember, carrying the same relentlessly optimistic humor and pop culture-savvy charm that made the show's early seasons so beloved. Indeed, you get the sense that Ted is as natural a character for Sudeikis to inhabit as slipping on a well-worn pair of jeans—effortlessly, and without missing a beat.
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Brigid Kennedy is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, she covered political news, sports, and culture at TheWeek.com before transitioning to Livingetc, an interior design publication. She holds a degree from Syracuse University, with dual majors in television, radio and film (from the Newhouse School of Public Communications) and marketing management (from the Whitman School of Management). In her spare time, she enjoys going to the cinema, reading, and cheering on the Steelers.