RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from Forbes — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 5 sources
Hollywood & Entertainment Ted Lasso Season 4 Episode 1 Recap And Review: I’m Not Convinced By Hannah Abraham ,
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Hannah Abraham covers entertainment, culture and business. Follow Author Aug 05, 2026, 04:13pm EDT --:-- / --:-- This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . Summary The first episode of "Ted Lasso" Season 4 has left a devoted fan unconvinced, despite the show's return. Set three years after Ted's departure from Richmond, the premiere finds him as a store assistant manager in Kansas. Rebecca, Higgins and Keeley travel there to offer him the coaching role for Richmond's newly proposed women's team. Initially hesitant due to his commitment to his son, Henry, Ted's mother encourages him to pursue a fulfilling career. The episode culminates with Ted deciding to move back to London with Henry and Michelle to accept the coaching position. The reviewer criticizes the premiere for its lack of football and team focus, feeling it concentrated too much on Ted's personal life in Kansas rather than the show's core elements.
Listen, you would be hard pressed to find a bigger Ted Lasso fan than young Miss Hannah over here. I’ve been watching the show faithfully in real time ever since it first came out during the pandemic, a much needed ray of hope in a time that has only spiralled downhill since. So believe me when I say that it gives me no pleasure to pronounce that the first episode of Ted Lasso season 4 has not convinced me vis-a-vis, y’know, its need to exist. But who knows, there are still several episodes left. Maybe I’ll change my mind.
So the last three seasons have brought us through a lot. As with most incredible shows, the show quality began to decline right after the first season. We could blame filming and writing during the pandemic for the uneven plotlines of its second run, which was still overall quite decent and kept the show’s wholesomeness intact. Season 3, however, brought with it more characters, more plots, bloated runtimes and somehow less Lasso.
At the end of the last season, Ted left Richmond for his hometown of Kansas, to spend more time with his son Henry and coach the latter’s soccer team. Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt) solemnized his extremely unhealthy relationship with a wedding so bizarre that large swathes of the audience believed it was a dream, not least because his best friend and chief Diamond Dog Ted Lasso, instead of being best man as any logical person would’ve expected, was not even present .
Nate (Nick Mohammed) was back on the Richmond team as assistant kit man, Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) had taken up with a random Dutch pilot we know nothing about, and Rebecca’s evil ex-husband Rupert (the sadly departed Anthony Head ) found himself plus another ex-wife and minus his club West Ham, both entirely of his own smarmy doing.
Jamie (Phil Dunster) and Roy (Brett Goldstein) fought over Keeley (and therefore undid years of maturity-building each) and Keeley (Juno Temple) rejected both of them, focusing on her budding PR business instead. Sam Obisanya (Toheeb Jimoh) got picked for the Nigerian national team, and Roy got promoted to the new manager of Richmond FC.
In its final moments, Keeley suggests a Richmond women’s team to Rebecca, which is what forms the premise of the resurrected season 4.
Now that we’re all caught up, here is a real-time recap, a running commentary , if you will, of the latest episode of Ted Lasso, as I watched it.
9:04 PM — I am so excited to see Ted Lasso again I never thought I'd live to see this day
9:04 PM — Maybe because last time they heavily implied multiple times that it was over and no one would live to see this day
9:04 PM — Right away let me tell you if this season doesn't bring Roy and Keeley back together it will have accomplished NOTHING
9:05 PM — I mean I am looking forward to the girls team dynamics but other than that
9:07 PM — Okay we have a short pre-episode clip here. Awww look the Apple TV universe is welcoming him back!
9:08 PM — Severance and Slow Horses and Pluribus and everybody!
9:08 PM — Reminds me of the ABC family convergences where Viola Davis was teaching a class with casts from all their different shows
9:10 PM — Ted is now working retail! Him as the cheerful assistant manager at a department store kinda makes sense actually
9:11 PM — Making sure everyone’s living well, inspiring them to do the right thing. For example he’s just seen a young employee pocket a couple of cigarettes, to which Ted steals a lot more stuff and pretends to get in trouble just to encourage him to put everything back. Ah, Ted.
9:12 PM — It’s been THREE YEARS!?!? Three years since the last season. They’ve gone with the real passage of time, I see.
9:12 PM — Awww a former (American) football player’s recognized him! His wife is NAWT impressed with Ted’s current situation. I feel you girl. No shade to assistant managers but telling old ladies to quit smoking just doesn’t seem like Ted’s calling long term, you know?
9:15 PM — The sheer amount of southern accents so far is like whiplash, it was fine when it was only Ted but it gets to a point
9:15 PM — Ok so Ted and Michelle are still not together, and still awkward in their encounters at Henry’s school. And Ted still hates tea (he’d rather drink “sweat from a butt,” he says).
9:16 PM — Apparently Henry is writing disturbing poetry? HAHAHA it’s just the lyrics to Black Steel by Public Enemy, the kid’s fine.
9:17 PM — NO I DONT LIKE ANY ROMANTIC TENSION BETWEEN THESE TWO DONT GET ANY CLOSER TED AND MICHELLE
Ted’s looking over her shoulder at the kids playing on the field. He clearly misses coaching. As you should Ted, you were great at it! Wait does he not coach Henry's team anymore? So zero coaching for Ted Lasso?? Criminal.
9:17 PM — He’s pulling into his driveway, but someone’s watching him from another car, which would be ...
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.