Now that the World Cup is over, it’s time for the real football to begin on Ted Lasso.
The beloved comedy show is finally making its return in August after its three-year hiatus.
All the sneak previews of the season so far seem to be pointing to Ted Lasso trying to launch a soft reboot of itself.
In the past, I’ve expressed skepticism about Ted Lasso Season 4 and its inability to bring the show back from its mediocre last season.
However, after doing some soul searching (and frankly, going crazy over the lack of comedy shows airing right now), I realized that the show has the potential to reinvigorate itself.
If Ted Lasso can figure out how to get audiences to root for the characters again and give them something to fight for, then believing might be back on the table.
Familiar Faces, New Stories?
Nostalgia is a powerful player in the world of TV, but it can also only get you so far.
Audiences might jump for joy at seeing Ted, Rebecca, Keeley, and Roy again, but to really stick the landing, the show has to convince us that they’re worth rooting for.
My biggest complaint with Ted Lasso Season 3 was that the series didn’t know exactly what to do with the characters.
In particular, it was frustrating to watch Keeley’s storyline, as her directionless character arc made her feel like a completely different person.
It didn’t feel like we were rooting for her to achieve any particular goal, compared to Ted Lasso Season 1, when her lesson was to learn her self-worth outside of her relationship with Jamie.
To make any character feel real, it’s important to help audiences understand why we should root for them.
Ted Lasso Season 4 can solve its past problems by crafting new stories for familiar characters.
Instead of rehashing conflicts that seem to tirelessly haunt the narrative, like Rupert’s cartoonish villain act in Season 3, the show needs to introduce new motivations and conflicts.
This call to action applies especially to Ted, who had extremely high stakes to work against when he was first hired to coach AFC Richmond.
It’s easy to root for him when it’s clear that he wants to help, even against all odds.
Same goes for the AFC Richmond team. Getting to watch them fight their personal demons and go from underdogs to star players was easily one of the best parts of the show.
That’s why I think reinvigorating this show also means considering how Ted Lasso will handle the new cast.
The Richmond Women’s Team
The Apple TV show is relying on the underdog formula to get back into its audience’s good graces.
While this might work well for the beginning of the fourth season, the series will have to do some heavy lifting to convince us to root for the new characters.
Most of us care for and deeply miss AFC Richmond players like Jamie Tartt, Sam Obisanya, and Dani Rojas.
So, the show has its work cut out in terms of winning us over with these new players and giving them relatable personal struggles that they must overcome.
It’s a little worrying that the show has to balance both introducing the new cast members while also revamping the storylines for its established characters.
The added nuance of this season centering a women’s team is also something I’m curious to see play out.
Women’s sports often aren’t treated with the same respect as men’s sports, and it’ll be interesting to see how the show attempts to tackle this systemic problem.
As with any TV show, it’s important to keep an open mind and give it a chance.
There’s a lot of pressure for the writers to deliver, especially since Ted Lasso means a lot to so many people, myself included.
I found so much hope and comfort in this comedy series, and I truly want nothing more than for this upcoming season to make me feel that way again.
Are you excited for Ted Lasso Season 4, or are you a skeptic?
Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
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If Ted Lasso Season 4 can achieve this, it might be able to revive the series and breathe new life into the aging show.
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