"Ted Lasso" returned for a fourth season on Apple TV+ this week to a critical reception split between warm nostalgia and complaints that the beloved sports comedy has lost some of its spark after a three-year hiatus.
The new 10-episode season, which premiered Aug. 5 following a New York premiere event attended by Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple and Brett Goldstein, shifts its focus: Ted now coaches AFC Richmond's newly formed women's team, alongside returning characters Rebecca Welton (Waddingham), Keeley Jones (Temple), Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt) and Higgins (Jeremy Swift). New cast members include Tanya Reynolds, Rex Hayes, Grant Feely, Aisling Sharkey and Abbie Hern.
Early reviews have landed the show at 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, a "Certified Fresh" rating, though individual notices are notably divided. "It carries the same Ted Lasso charm viewers have grown to love," wrote Kara Hedash for Screen Rant, while Abe Friedtanzer of Awards Buzz called the new season "not quite as glimmering or inspirational as it once was" but still "a delight." More critical voices were sharper: Nick Hilton of The Independent said the return "feels a bit flat," and the Hollywood Reporter's review carried the headline "Apple's Sports Dramedy Returns, Shakily."
Ahead of the premiere, Waddingham and Temple had publicly discussed reservations about reprising their roles after such a long break, adding to speculation about whether the show could recapture its earlier cultural moment. That moment was arguably at its peak during the actual 2026 World Cup final broadcast, when a choreographed Ted Lasso pep talk to pop star Justin Bieber went viral, reportedly reaching more than a billion viewers — a marketing coup Apple leaned on heavily in promoting the new season.
Apple TV+ had not confirmed a fourth season for years after positioning the show as a three-season arc when it debuted in 2020, making its revival one of the platform's highest-profile original releases of 2026. Whether the split reviews translate into strong viewership will likely determine if Apple orders a fifth season, or lets the show's return stand as a one-off victory lap for one of streaming's most decorated comedies. Apple has not released viewership figures for the premiere, as is typical for the platform, leaving critics' reactions as the primary early gauge of how the revival is landing with audiences.
