Ted Lasso could be headed for a fourth season, as Warner Bros. is looking to take advantage of the stars’ expiring contracts.
All of us non-goldfish will remember that when Ted Lasso wrapped up its third season last year, it seemed like the whistle had blown on the series. But we may see the team taking the pitch once again, as it is being reported that Warner Bros. could be using three core cast members as leverage for a fourth season.
As per Deadline, Warner Bros. has optioned the following Ted Lasso cast members: Hannah Waddingham (AFC Richmond owner Rebecca Welton), Brett Goldstein (player-turned-coach Roy Kent) and Jeremy Swift (the lovable Leslie Higgins) via through the UK-based Actors’ Equity Union. With SAG-AFTRA contracts expiring soon, this will allow the studio to pursue Jason Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt (Coach Beard) and Juno Temple (Keeley Jones). It has been noted that Phil Dunster (Jamie Tartt) may have other commitments that would block him from a large role. Efforts are also in line to get a writing team together; the original team took home the Writers Guild of America Awards for Comedy Series and New Series.
Ahead of season three, Sudeikis seemed confident that those episodes could wrap up the show in a satisfying way, saying, “This is the end of this story that we wanted to tell, that we were hoping to tell, that we loved to tell.” That said, he didn’t object to more expansions on the characters, adding, “I think that we’ve set the table for all sorts of folks…to get to watch the further telling of these stories.” That doesn’t exactly make us feel confident in his return, which would more suggest a spin-off series that could focus on any number of other characters. Certainly Sudeikis would be the biggest catch for more Ted Lasso, but the rest of the characters are all so fleshed out and gloriously brought to life by their portrayers that a spin-off could absolutely work.
Ted Lasso made its mark immediately, providing the sort of hopeful outlook that we just don’t get on television. With so much uncertainty and dread in the world, it’s just the kind of show that made us “believe” – in people, in optimism, in the warmth of a brilliant Christmas episode. With that, even if we don’t get a fourth season of Ted Lasso, those episodes we do have are, by and large, some of the finest of the decade.
Are you in support of a fourth season of Ted Lasso or would you rather see a spin-off?