While Ted Lasso once seemed over and done with, fans evidently just needed to channel their inner Ted and believe that there could still be a future. Yes, a Season 4 of Apple TV+’s hit comedy is reportedly in the works with actors Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein, and Jeremy Swift already attached. It doesn’t seem to be a sure thing, but the very idea of a fourth season raises big questions about how the story could actually continue following the third season finale of one of Apple TV+’s best TV shows. Could the fan theory that the original end was actually a dream sequence be worth revisiting, despite being previously debunked by EP Brendan Hunt?
As a refresher for you if it’s been some time since you watched Ted Lasso’s third season and/or let your Apple TV+ subscription lapse without the Richmond football team, the Season 3 finale was presumed to be the series finale. It was hard to believe otherwise, after what seemed like some pretty definitive endings. Of the main players, Ted returned to Kansas to be with Henry, Beard married Jane, Rebecca seemed set on a happily-ever-after with her Dutchman, Keeley decided to focus on a women’s football team instead of restarting a relationship with Roy or Jamie, Roy became the new head coach at AFC Richmond, and Jamie reconciled with his dad.
As a latecomer to Ted Lasso, it wasn’t until getting context for the finale spoilers I’d seen that I fully understood why fans had so many issues with the ending and I learned of the theory that the whole epilogue was actually a dream sequence. Personally, I didn’t have a problem with Ted leaving Richmond despite Rebecca asking him to stay, just because it had been heavily foreshadowed that he’d go back for Henry’s sake and it wasn't a surprise. I also thought that Roy had just about the perfect end to his journey of the first three seasons by becoming head coach.
I wasn’t quite so sold on Rebecca and the Dutchman or the Beard/Jane union, but I was fine with Ted and Roy’s endings insofar as those twists had been foreshadowed. Unfortunately, Ted and Roy’s endings are the hardest ones to reconcile with a Season 4 that would (ideally) bring back the majority of the original cast, including Jason Sudeikis. The finale of Season 3 establishes that Ted is back in the U.S. and Roy is settling into the top job at AFC Richmond, and there’s really no resetting the status quo to bring Ted back into what is now Roy's role… unless the epilogue is revealed to be a dream sequence.
More or less erasing the events of the epilogue to start Season 4 would be a quick and easy way to restore the status quo of Ted as coach at Richmond and Roy still learning to grow as an assistant coach. To be clear – I don’t want to see Ted Lasso retcon its own ending just for an easy out, particularly when I thought that the show stuck the landing with Roy. I also don’t particularly think that the Ted Lasso writers would go this route, but a blank slate without that epilogue could certainly simplify setting up Season 4.
Because there’s still the very sticky issue of how Ted Lasso is actually going to incorporate Ted Lasso himself if Season 4 happens with Jason Sudeikis reprising his beloved role. There are really far more questions than answers about the future of the show at this point, not least whether reports that Phil Dunster won’t be able to return as Jamie are accurate. It’s a pretty safe bet that the most Ted Lasso any of us will get before the end of the 2024 TV schedule is by rewatching earlier episodes.
Still, there’s a lot to be hopeful about with the possibility of Ted and Co. returning, and I’m just going to believe that the writers won’t go the easy route of erasing the endings. As we wait for more news, you can always revisit the first three seasons of Ted Lasso – or just rewatch Season 2's “Rainbow” another time or two, if you’re like me – with an Apple TV+ subscription.
