Jason Sudeikis has, without much fanfare, redefined what the fourth season of Ted Lasso is meant to be. Forget a farewell lap — this is the first installment of three.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Sudeikis explained that the show’s next chapter was mapped out as a three-season story. Run the numbers and you land on a potential sixth season for Ted Lasso.
It’s a far more ambitious move than anybody expected from a series that appeared to have wrapped up neatly.
The Richmond Ted returns to isn’t the one he left
Season four brings Ted back to AFC Richmond, though the role has changed. He’s now at the helm of the club’s newly created women’s team, with the narrative built around a fresh roster of players.
In other words, the series is assembling a brand-new bench. For the second time.
That doesn’t mean the veterans get sidelined. Roy Kent, Coach Beard and Rebecca Welton all return in prominent roles.
The writers have a head start
One detail signals just how committed this plan is: the writers’ room for season five’s story is set to open in August.
You don’t assemble a room around wishful thinking. You assemble one when a plan already exists.
The part that isn’t being publicised
Neither season five nor season six has an official greenlight. Not so far.
Whether the story continues rests largely on how viewers receive the show’s comeback — a diplomatic way of noting that the trilogy currently lives on paper and in an August writers’ room, and nowhere beyond that.
All of which loads an unusual amount of pressure onto season four. You can only deliver on a three-season arc if enough viewers turn up for the opening third.
Sudeikis has written toward an ending he hasn’t yet been cleared to reach.