To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
browser that
supports HTML5
video
Ted Lasso has unveiled the first teaser for its season four return, after two years away from our Apple TV screens.
The schmaltzy football dramedy returns this August, with Jason Sudeikis and his handlebar moustache back as the eponymous Ted, who returns to Blighty to coach the Greyhound women’s side.
The teaser is the first glimpse at what this upheaval in the show’s premise will look like, with the Richmond FC locker-room of men, including fan favourites like Jamie Tartt, swapped out for a new cast of women players.
It’s set to the folksy tune of Marcus Mumford’s vocals, which is no surprise given the Mumford and Sons frontman croons over the show’s title sequence.
The one-minute clip is mostly vibes-based, but shows that the familiar faces are (mostly) back, with that earnest brand of good feeling in tow.
The main players are here: Hannah Waddingham as club owner Rebecca, Brett Goldstein as the gruffly-spoken Roy Kent, Juno Temple as his on-off girlfriend Keeley and Jeremy Swift as the inimitable Leslie.
In quick cut scenes, we see the trio of Richmond’s pint-sinking number one fans give a round of applause at a maybe-press conference.
Then, the women’s team lines up and runs through a series of drills on the pitch, with newcomer Tanya Reynolds on the sidelines alongside Ted and Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt). Rebecca and Ted’s (recast) son Henry cheer on Richmond from the heavily merchandised stands.
Having returned from the US, we see Ted walking through the quaint streets of Richmond, where he’s approached by a fan (wearing his Richmond scarf, which seems to be locally mandated attire).
‘Welcome back coach,’ says the fan. ‘Too bad you’re coaching a bunch of girls.’ Looks like we’re tackling sexism this season. The eternal optimist Ted doesn’t look fazed.
How will this season follow on from season 3?
Senior TV Reporter Rebecca Cook shares her take…
Ted Lasso purists won’t want to hear this, but the last time this show was on the air, it was dreadful.
The season finale, which for a time looked like it would be the series conclusion, was like a strange CGI-looking fever dream I’ve been trying to forget ever since.
Remember Coach Beard’s wedding? No? Good for you.
I, like many, found Ted Lasso in the midst of a manic pandemic state. It was like discovering a sweet, better place I could leave my house to travel to.
But by the third season, it was bloated with too many storylines, preachy with its need to tell us all how to live our lives and did a huge disservice to favs like Keeley.
The show had outstayed its wholesome welcome and seemed to know it. Ted was sent packing back to the US like he needed a time-out.
But now this jewel in the Apple TV mantle returns with what seems to be renewed focus and, better yet, new ideas.
Ted has been freed from the US (I can’t imagine his brand of niceness fits in over there anymore) and returns to Richmond to take on what has been touted as his ‘biggest challenge yet’: coaching a second division women’s football team.
(The men’s team were hardly easy to turn into a winning side, but okay.)
The official synopsis reads: ‘Ted and the team learn to leap before they look, taking chances they never thought they would.’
We haven’t got a load to go on with just a teaser, but a shake-up of the cast and show focus is encouraging, even if it does mean (seemingly) losing the likes of Toheeb Jimoh and Nick Mohammed.
Then, and this is huge news, Rebecca is seen kissing the incredibly charming Dutch boat guy, who she spent a magical evening with while the team played away in Amsterdam. Hurrah!
Roy, sat next to Keeley in an SUV, smashes through the car skylight window with a (checks notes) black stiletto. Okay… Ted laughs with a maybe-love interest. Rebecca has herself a drink. Ted and Coach Beard attend what looks like some postdramatic theatre. The score swells.
And last of all, Ted sits in Rebecca’s office with Leslie and Keeley (can’t see any biscuits in sight) and delivers a string of acronyms, while still managing to say ‘pretty please’.
As for the nitty-gritty of how all of this folds together, we’ll have to wait for a full trailer.
Ted Lasso season 4 will be available to stream on Apple TV from August 5.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.