'Ted Lasso' Season 4 Episode 1 Ending Explained: What To Expect Next?

He is back! Yes, I’m talking about our favourite soccer coach on OTT, none other than Ted Lasso. While we all thought Apple TV’s most beloved comedy wrapped everything up pretty neatly, the makers clearly thought otherwise. So they’ve now come back with a fourth season, which almost feels like a soft reboot. Last time we saw Ted, he’d left England for good after taking AFC Richmond to a height the club had never seen before. Two years later, we see him working as a salesman, just like his old man. But obviously we can’t have a show about Ted Lasso working at a supermarket, so our man has to go back. Except this time, it’s going to be the Richmond women, instead of men. The first episode of season 4 spent most of its runtime doing a (very predictable, and dare I say tiresome) set-up until coming really good in the end. In this article, we’re gonna discuss that ending in detail and focus on the reason behind Ted’s decision. I’m also gonna try speculating a bit about what’s gonna happen in this season.

Spoiler Alert

You can take Ted Lasso out of Richmond, but you can’t take Richmond out of Ted Lasso! Because from the very first minute of the new season, you know for a fact that our coach misses his old job. He might have settled in at his new one – as a sales manager at a supermarket – and is doing everything right by his estranged wife, Michelle, and son, Henry, who’s about to graduate, but deep down, the man is missing being a coach. It’s very much evident from the start, and everyone, be it Ted’s wife and son, or his mother, Dottie, understands it. Naturally, when the Richmond trio, of Rebecca, Higgins, and Keeley, arrive in Kansas City to convince Ted to take the charge of the Greyhound women, he is very excited. Of course, the excitement has a lot to do with the fact that Ted is getting an opportunity to meet his best friends after such a long time, but it’s the prospect of the job as well. But our man, despite everything, refuses to say yes. That shouldn’t be a surprise, because Ted Lasso has always put his family before everything. They’re the reason he returned to the US, so he absolutely can’t leave again. Especially when Henry is in such a crucial stage of his life and Michelle is frustrated with her job. 

That said, the plot can’t move forward if our main man doesn’t. Plus, it makes all the sense in the world for Ted to go back to England and do his magic one more time. And while last time he went there as a hire who would potentially ruin everything – at least that was Rebecca’s plan – this time, the owner herself has come to him with the job, and also a trademark Ted Lasso biscuit – very nice callback to season 1, I’m sure you all remember! And by the time Rebecca tells Ted that “home” is not defined by a place, but it’s a state of mind, you know which way he’s gonna swing. Not to mention, mother Lasso also plays a catalyst by letting Ted know that she is not interested in his current job because Ted himself doesn’t have his heart in it. However, Ted still would have said no to the job had Henry and Michelle not given him the green light. But in what I thought to be the sweetest moment of the entire episode, Ted floats the idea of all the three of them moving to London together to Michelle. And to his surprise, Michelle says okay, but it’s actually Henry who’s using his mother’s phone. Henry does confirm within a minute that his mother has also signed off on the idea, leaving Ted truly happy for the first time in the entire episode. Ted Lasso is coming back home again, and this time around, he’s gonna have his family with him. Like last time, Ted’s second visit to the UK is going to be eventful too, and we’ll see it unfolding over the course of the next two months or so. For now, we’re gonna engage in some speculation about what will happen this season and also discuss our expectations.

First of all, things are not gonna be easy. We don’t get to know much about the Richmond women’s team in the first episode itself, but considering how eager Rebecca was to get Ted back, we can assume that things are not looking good. While we can put our money on Ted fixing things, I’ve a feeling this season is going to take a (completely fair) jibe at football still mostly being the sports played by men, and how women’s football is looked down upon. Not only is Ted Lasso going to change this regressive mindset over the course of the show, I believe the show is going to do the same for some of the audience. As far as the character arcs go, we’ll get to see a lot of Michelle and Henry, unlike the last three seasons; it’ll be interesting to see how they fit in in England with Ted at his new (or should we say old?) job. We are also gonna witness some romance this season, with Roy Kent still pining for Kealy, even though she seems to have moved on. Will we see the return of Brett Goldstein as the fan favorite character? We know for a fact we will. And what about the other characters? Well, as per reports, journalist Trent Crimm, who has been a very interesting character from the start, and Nathan “Nate” Shelly are not returning for this season. It would have been really great to see “the old Nate” reuniting with Ted but sadly, that’s not happening as per the news we have. None of the Richmond men’s football team members are gonna appear either, as the actors playing those parts have been quite busy in recent times. However, Coach Beard is still returning, which is great news as it’s hard to imagine Coach Ted without Coach Beard. To conclude, with a new set up, and a fresh bunch of characters, along with some old faces, Ted Lasso is ready to win your heart again.