“Ted Lasso ”stars hope fans 'give a s‑‑‑' about Richmond's new era as show returns with 3-year time jump (exclusive)

Shania RussellWed, May 13, 2026 at 7:00 PM UTC

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Jason Sudeikis on 'Ted Lasso'
Credit: apple tv+Key Points -

When Ted Lasso returns for its fourth season, three years have passed in the world of the series.

Co-creator and star Brendan Hunt promises that all of those questions about Ted returning to Richmond will be answered "pretty quick."

Hunt calls the new episodes a throwback to season 1, saying, "Season 1 they were more an ensemble, you know? That's kind of the deal here."

It's been three years since fans said so long, farewell to Ted Lasso — and it was not an easy goodbye. When season 3 concluded, it was with a big sense of finality. The much-touted three-season arc was complete and that stranger who came to town and changed everything (the mustachioed title character himself) hopped on a plane to go home to America.

But don't worry, Greyhounds: Ted (Jason Sudeikis) is finally coming home to Richmond. And that time we all spent waiting for him will certainly be felt.

"Time has passed," series co-creator and Coach Beard himself Brendan Hunt tells Entertainment Weekly, when asked where season 4 finds everyone. "We're picking it up, I believe it's three years later. So nothing can quite stay fully the same in that time."

That much is clear from the season's existence alone. Last we saw the Greyhounds, they all seemed to be basking in the glow of their respective happily-ever-afters. Ted was back home in Kansas City with his ex wife and son; Coach Beard just tied the knot with his toxic girlfriend; Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) had taken over as manager of AFC Richmond; and Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) and Keeley (Juno Temple) were teaming up on a new venture.

Making the rounds to celebrate the season finale, the stars weren't just playing coy about whether the series was over — they genuinely didn't know. Waddingham, for one, told outlets that she was "mourning" Rebecca. Three years later, she compared news of the show's fourth season to having "the most beautiful, beloved dog" get exhumed after a burial. (Meanwhile, others opted for a dead cat comparison.)

"I don't mind saying that I got a bit — not told off —but a lot of people were just like, 'Why are you saying it's like you've exhumed a beloved dead dog?'" Waddingham now tells EW. "And I was like, 'Guys, at least I'm saying beloved.'"

Hannah Waddingham as Rebecca Welton and Juno Temple as Keeley Jones in 'Ted Lasso'
Credit: apple tv+

Jokes aside, the actress was thrilled to get back into Rebecca's heels. "When you've loved playing [someone] so much and they are very much a part of you… I've said so many times that the other cast members, you see them a lot, so that's not the bit which you mourn," she explains. "You mourn the loss of that character. Not knowing that, like I said, exhumed! Deliciously exhumed!"

The decision to come back was easy enough, but behind the scenes, they needed a little extra time to get there. As Hunt puts it, "We needed a break before we could really process anything." So they said their farewells: "'We love all your faces [but] I can't see them for a while!'"

Luckily, while some characters ended their arcs with neat bows, the writers' room took care to plant a seed for the future: Rebecca and Keeley's women's football team. Eventually, it took root. "And after a bit of remove, Jason got back on the horn and was like, 'I think we ought to do it,'" Hunt says. "I was like, 'Great.'"

Which brings us back to Ted's return and the big question on everyone's mind: What the hell is he doing back in Richmond after bringing us all to tears with that emotional departure? What about his son? His marriage? How homesick he was for America? "Those are all elements of the decision that he has to make," Hunt says coyly. "I can promise you that those questions get answered pretty quick."

Hunt teases that there will be some resistance from Ted at the prospect of returning to Richmond, but as the trailer and photos indicate, he will eventually give in to become the head coach of the women's team.

Brett Goldstein as Roy Kent in season 4 of 'Ted Lasso'
Credit: apple tv+

So what does the time jump mean for some of our preexisting relationships? Where do Rebecca and Ted stand after so many years apart? Based on the fact that Waddingham, Hunt and Jeremy Swift (Higgins) shot some scenes out in Kansas City, she's clearly quite determined when it comes to getting her favorite coach back onboard.

"The beauty of Ted and Rebecca's relationship is that they do call each other out on things," Waddingham says, pointing out that this is also true of Rebecca's dynamic with Roy and Keeley. "But that's only healthy and just leans into why they are absolutely right to be together in this workplace."

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Meanwhile her friendship with Keeley has only "deepened further." Waddingham adds, "If you think about where we found Keeley in the first place — just kind of being an influencer and Rebecca would tease her about, you know, 'How's that working out for you being in a more vacuous world? Would you not rather harness the ability that you have?' It's really lovely that they stand shoulder to shoulder now."

As for Rebecca, Waddingham believes she's truly coming into her own.

"She's very much the figurehead of the whole organization," she says. "She's unequivocally the leader. She's become a real kind of lioness about both of her teams and that's what's been so lovely to play."

She adds that this transformation is, in part, because Rebecca has finally "come out of the shadow of Asshole Rupert" and surrounded herself with, to put it bluntly, better people. "The team, Ted —all of them breathe life into Rebecca this season."

Oh, and what about Beard's strange — arguably toxic — relationship with Jane (whose last name is fittingly) Payne. Is married life treating them well? Hunt wouldn't say, but teased, "Those particular questions will take a little longer to answer. But we do get there."

Brendan Hunt as Coach Beard in 'Ted Lasso'
Credit: apple tv+

Of the new faces, Hunt and Waddingham offered the highest praises. "As both actors and people, I f---ing love them," Hunt tells EW. "They were so game. They were so up for everything. As with the men's team from before, every single one of them can pivot so easily between the comic stuff and the more emotional stuff."

Waddingham adds that once again, we'll get "the measure" of these players both on and off the pitch, noting, "You get the characters fleshed out quite quickly, so you start to care before you even know it."

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Echoing that sentiment, Hunt says the show is, in a way, returning to its season 1 roots, introducing us first and foremost to a team before we get to know them as individuals.

"Season 1 they were more an ensemble, you know? That's kind of the deal here," he explains. "To give them basically more space to grow as we go."

Does that mean there's another three-season arc ahead? "I'm not against it," Hunt says with a laugh, "We certainly have to go into it with that hope. And step one is gonna be: Are people gonna give a s--- about this? We can't assume that people are gonna take to this as much as they did before. I don't know. I hope they do."

Ted Lasso returns August 5 on Apple TV.

on Entertainment Weekly

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