Created by Bill Lawrence, Jason Sudeikis, and Brendan Hunt – Starring Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt, Jeremy Swift, Tracey Ullman, and Tanya Reynolds

After returning to Richmond, Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) takes on a new challenge: building AFC Richmond’s women’s soccer team while the familiar faces around him deal with changes of their own.

I really liked coming back to Ted Lasso.

There is still a lot of heart here. The comedy is still there. The characters still have that chemistry that made the first three seasons so much fun, and the show still creates that strange little world where people actually seem to care about each other.

But something was missing this season.

I think it comes down to how much the show allowed itself to explore the new cast.

The problem isn’t that I didn’t like the new characters. Alice Chilton (Tanya Reynolds) was one of my favorites, and I thought her relationship with Gemma Jay (Abbie Hern) gave her a really good story. Lizzie Davis (Faye Marsay), the single mother who becomes the team’s captain, was a lot of fun. I liked Boots (Jude Mack), the goalie who refuses to wear gloves, and the twins Niamh and Siobhan Harrigan (Aisling Sharkey and Rex Hayes) had a fun chemistry of their own.

There was a lot of good groundwork here. I just wanted more from them.

That’s difficult when you’re introducing a large number of new characters into a show where we’ve already spent three seasons getting to know Roy, Keeley, Rebecca, Higgins, Ted and everyone else. We understand what motivates those characters. We know their histories. We’ve watched them change and grow.

The new characters are being asked to catch up to all of that.

And I don’t think the season always gives them enough time to do it. Especially when the show gave so much screen time to Zelda (Tracey Ullman). Ullman is a legend, and she was great as the eccentric, ridiculously wealthy Zelda. I enjoyed every scene she was in. But that was precious time that could have been spent getting us deeper into the lives of the players.

Gemma is a good example. We get the setup with her studying to become a lawyer, her history with Alice, her decision to return to soccer and then her injury. There are interesting pieces there, but then it felt like she just disappeared from the storyline.

I felt like that was a pattern with most of the new players.

That also affected the soccer itself for me.

I understand that the season wasn’t really about whether the women’s team won or lost. A big part of the story was building a team that people would actually want to come see and showing what the women’s team could become.

That’s a worthwhile season-long plot.

But it also meant that since we weren’t always getting to focus on the individual players, a lot of the soccer scenes fell flat.

The show still gets plenty right.

The comedy works. The music choices were a lot of fun. The returning characters still have the chemistry that makes Ted Lasso feel like Ted Lasso, and there are enough funny, heartfelt moments to make the season an enjoyable watch.

I just don’t think the new characters got quite enough room to shine.

Still, I liked where the season left things.

There is enough closure that I would be perfectly happy if this is where Ted Lasso ends. But there are also enough loose threads that another season wouldn’t feel forced if they decided to continue.

That’s probably a good place for the show to be.

Season four wasn’t bad. Not even close. I had a good time watching it, and there is still something special about the way Ted Lasso mixes ridiculous comedy with genuine kindness.

I just wanted more time with the new characters. More time understanding what makes them tick. More of the character work that made the first three seasons so easy to get invested in.

It still feels like Ted Lasso.

I just don’t think it dug quite as deep this time.

TV Verdict: All In