Ted Lasso Season 4 is closer to happening than ever before.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Apple TV+’s hit feel-good sports comedy could be on the road to another season now that Warner Bros. Television has secured the contract options for Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein and Jeremy Swift. These three have contracts under Equity, the actors union in the UK. With the three stars back on board, it looks as if the series is well underway to getting the full gang back together.
The Ted Lasso cast secured so far for a Season 4 and which cast could also return
According to the outlet, now that Waddingham, Swift and Goldstein are secured, all that is left is for Warner Bros. Television to create new contracts for Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt, who also serve as co-creators and executive producers, and Juno Temple. These three stars are represented by SAG-AFTRA.
Why Ted Lasso is likely returning
The contract negotiations are a great sign for fans of the series, who have become accustomed to the rhetoric that Ted Lasso had three seasons already planned. Now that the third season has come and gone, fans have wondered if that meant the end of the title character’s adventures in UK soccer.
But, when a show has a huge audience, major ratings, and critical appeal, a network isn’t often ready to let that kind of property go. Especially now that television has gone to the streaming age, streamers are constantly looking for trademark series that can also serve as trusted, financially-safe IP. In other words, Apple TV+ might feel safe knowing it’s probable to get its return on investment with Ted Lasso.
However, even though the stars seem like they are signaling a return to the world of soccer, co-creator Bill Lawrence has also gone on record saying that a fourth season would depend on Sudeikis wanting to head back to the UK. The outlet writes that Lawrence described Sudeikis as having to uproot his life in the States, especially as the father of two children.
“As fans, we’d all kill if it was going again,” he said, describing how he and the other cast and crew mates feel. “[B]ut everybody would say the same thing, which is: Whatever Jason feels like doing, and whatever his decision is, we’re all down with it. Not only is he the star, he’s the head writer, and he’s also the dude whose life just has to be completely overhauled and moved to a foreign country with young children. It’s a big deal. So, as a fan, if someone’s like, ‘Oh, it’s gonna happen again,’ I’ll go nuts. As a partner, I’m down for whatever he wants to do.”
With that said, fans might still be able to breathe a little easier now that three of the series’ stars have agreed to work with Apple TV+ again. Maybe that means something can happen regarding Ted Lasso‘s future, but for now, all fans can have is hopeful optimism.