Can Ted Lasso Season 4 work without its titular character?
There’s a formula to a good TV spinoff. It’s like taking a magnifying glass to an interesting character or section of a series. What if The Tracey Ullman Show‘s family of interstitial yellow characters with spikey hair had more time? What if Cheers only focused on Frasier Crane? What was Sheldon Cooper like as a child?
With news that Ted Lasso could be coming back for a Season 4, presumably without Ted Lasso as a main character (although Jason Sudeikis will probably executive produce), what does Ted Lasso look like without Ted Lasso? Is it even called Ted Lasso anymore?
This is a rare TV spinoff that could attempt to continue the story without its titular main character and without actually being a spinoff. (In some ways, it’s reminiscent of when CBS’s Beauty and the Beast, which ran from 1987 to 1990, tried to continue without its Beauty, Linda Hamilton. Isn’t it just. . .Beast?)
A Ted Lasso Season 4 could totally work, but given that Ted Lasso himself Lasso-fied everyone (even surly Roy Kent joined the Diamond Dogs by the end of Season 3), what would the main goal of the series be? Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) starting a women’s league? (I’m not sure I’m ready for the dudebros on X with this one, but it could be cool.) Rebecca vying to take the team all the way to victory as a woman in the male-dominated industry could also be compelling.
One thing the new season probably won’t involve is the Roy/Jamie/Keeley love triangle, as it sounds like Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster) will not be coming back (and that was one of the few loosened show threads left, as most character arcs ended tied up in a bow).
Another question surrounding Season 4 is whether audiences are ready for it. Since Apple and some actors have been teasing the idea of another season on social for more than a year now, a rumor that became about as accepted as the next Avatar release date, is it too late for this kind of reboot? Or maybe even too early? Does Ted Lasso need to go away for a while longer in order for people to welcome it back with more open arms?
Whatever Apple TV+ decides to do, whether it’s in 2025 or beyond, here’s a suggestion for the new season if it decides to exist sans Ted Lasso: Don’t make it a Season 4. Let the show become its own thing, like The Lasso Way. To borrow a phrase Mr. Lasso himself would love, let’s not put lipstick on a pig. The team can fly on its own with a Season 1.
