Brett Goldstein has confirmed that a fourth season of Ted Lasso is in development, a shift from the original plan for the show to end after three seasons. Goldstein, who plays Roy Kent and serves as a writer and producer, said during an appearance on NPR’s Wild Card podcast that the new season is already in the writing phase.
Goldstein described the revival using a story from his childhood about a friend who believed he had brought a cat back to life. The friend, as a child, had buried what he thought was his pet after it had been hit by a car. The next day, the real cat returned home. “They buried the cat in the garden, and he lay in bed so sad, so upset and crying, and he prayed and he prayed and he wished,” Goldstein said. “And then the cat did come back, and it turned out the cat they buried wasn’t their cat.”
Goldstein said that experience shaped his friend’s belief that nothing was permanent. “No wonder this guy is messed up,” he said. “He thinks death isn’t real, so of course he’s a weird guy, because he thinks he can bring things back from the dead.”
That mindset, Goldstein explained, mirrors how he feels about Ted Lasso returning after its creators—Jason Sudeikis, Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt, and Joe Kelly—had intended to wrap the show with Season 3. “We buried it. We all cried, we had a funeral. Are you saying we can bring anything back?” he said. “It’s too much power.”
The revival was confirmed last month, more than a year after the Season 3 finale aired in May 2023. Apple TV+ ordered a new season featuring returning cast members Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, Jeremy Swift, and Goldstein himself.
In a previous statement, Sudeikis said that the new season would involve the characters at AFC Richmond learning to act before hesitating, referencing a shift in the show’s tone and direction.
Reports indicate the upcoming season will include a storyline involving a women’s soccer team coached by Sudeikis’s character.