Season 4 debut draws series-low reviews

Apple TV+ brought “Ted Lasso” back on Wednesday, August 5, after a three-year break, sending Jason Sudeikis’ coach back to Richmond to run a second-division women’s football team. Early reviews were mixed, and Gold Derby said the fourth season had opened to the lowest critical reception of the series so far. Rotten Tomatoes described the returning cast as familiar and appealing, but said it was “not entirely clear” the new version of the show had much new to say. Metacritic listed season four at 61 based on 28 critic reviews as of August 6, a “generally favorable” score but one that reflected a split between positive and mixed notices. The season premiered with episode one, “Home,” on August 5, and Apple said the 10-episode run will continue weekly through October 7. ### Why are critics calling this a low point for the series? (apple.com) Gold Derby reported on August 5 that the new season had fallen to a series low in early reviews, framing the comeback as one of the year’s most closely watched TV returns. The outlet said critics were divided over whether the Apple comedy had justified coming back after what many viewers had treated as a finale in 2023. (metacritic.com) Rotten Tomatoes showed seven critic notices on its season-four page when opened on August 6, with blurbs ranging from praise for the show’s “sunny disposition” to doubts that “Ted Lasso 2.0” had anything new to add. The page also highlighted criticism that the season pushed a simplified version of female empowerment and remained attached to the show’s established tone. (msn.com) ### What changed in season four? Apple said in a July 28 press release that season four shifts Ted from AFC Richmond’s men’s side to a new women’s team, the Lady Greyhounds. The company said the new season reunites Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt and Jeremy Swift, while adding Tanya Reynolds, Jude Mack, Faye Marsay, Rex Hayes, Aisling Sharkey, Abbie Hern and Grant Feely. (rottentomatoes.com) The premise matters because the show had ended with Ted returning to Kansas City to be with his son. Season four reverses that ending by bringing him back to England, this time to coach women’s football at Richmond. ### Why are some reviewers questioning the comeback itself? (apple.com) IndieWire said the premiere did “too little to justify” why Ted would be the person chosen to lead the women’s side, arguing that the new season reopened decisions the earlier ending had already settled. Its review said the return asked viewers to accept Ted’s move back to London for reasons the previous finale had explicitly rejected. (apple.com) The Wrap took a different view on August 5, calling the season a “return to form” and saying the women’s-team setup gave the show a new center of action. Its review said the series came back with “a new sense of hope” and a fresh squad, even as it leaned on familiar relationships and rhythms. ### Are viewers responding the same way as critics? (indiewire.com) Forbes reported on August 5 that Rotten Tomatoes audience scores were stronger than the critic reaction, calling the early viewer response the show’s best since season one. Rotten Tomatoes’ season page also showed enthusiastic audience comments on August 6, including viewers saying the first episode “did not disappoint” and that the series remained a comfort watch. (thewrap.com) Metacritic’s user score was lower and listed as “mixed or average,” based on 11 user ratings when opened on August 6. That left both major review aggregators showing a split response, though not the same split. ### When do the next episodes arrive? Apple said season four’s 10 episodes began on Wednesday, August 5, with one episode at launch and new installments every Wednesday through October 7. (forbes.com) Metacritic’s episode list shows episode two, “Curiouser and Curiouser!,” scheduled for August 12, followed by weekly releases into early October. (apple.com) (metacritic.com)