Ted Lasso returns next week with two major changes in season 4

Ted Lasso is almost back (watch on Apple TV), with season 4 premiering this Tuesday, August 4 at 9:00 p.m. ET / 6:00 p.m. PT. Here are two major changes to expect from the new season of Ted Lasso.

#1: Brand new cast members, but also key departures as plot focuses on women’s team

Ted Lasso season 4 features many of the beloved characters from prior seasons, like Ted, Rebecca, Keeley, Roy, and Coach Beard.

But there’s also significant cast turnover due to the new plot now centering on a women’s team: the Lady Greyhounds.

Newcomers in season 4 include Tanya Reynolds as Alice Chilton, who coaches alongside Lasso, plus Lady Greyhounds players: Abbie Hern as Gemma, Jude Mack as Boots, Faye Marsay as Lizzie, and a pair of twins, Aisling Sharkey as Niamh and Rex Hayes as Siobhan.

The men from AFC Richmond are not returning as regular cast members. Jamie Tartt, Dani Rojas, Sam Obisanya, Isaac McAdoo, and Colin Hughes will be missing—though some might appear in cameos.

Nick Mohammed, who played Nate in seasons 1-3, might return in some capacity but it’s not clear at the moment.

#2: Behind-the-scenes creative shakeup

For Ted Lasso’s first couple seasons, co-creator Bill Lawrence was heavily involved in the show alongside Jason Sudeikis. Lawrence is also known for Apple TV’s Shrinking and Bad Monkey, and other hits like Scrubs and HBO’s Rooster.

Notably, on season 3 Lawrence had virtually no involvement. And by most accounts, the show suffered creatively as a result.

So for season 4, Apple brought in Jack Burditt to help Sudeikis. Per The Hollywood Reporter:

Jack Burditt, whose résumé is stuffed with hit sitcoms like 30 Rock and Modern Family, seemed ideally suited, but, as he’d very clearly told his reps, he was done being a showrunner-for-hire…That they’d be running it together made it more palatable, as did the outsize success of the show. Plus, Sudeikis seemed to know that he needed help, and the delineation of duties was largely clear.

“He was like, ‘I need someone to put up the walls, and I’ll hang the art,’” says Burditt, who understood that to mean that his job would be to keep the show on budget and on schedule while Sudeikis would continue to be the creative engine

Previous reporting said Burditt also co-ran the writer’s room on season 4. Early indications are that the new season is a welcome return to form after the uneven season 3.

Are you excited for Ted Lasso’s season 4 return? Let us know in the comments.

Apple TV is available for $12.99 per month, or you can get it discounted through the Apple One bundle.