Ted Lasso officially confirms season four is definitely happening

You better believe it.

Ted Lasso is officially returning for season four, as is the man himself, Jason Sudeikis.

Sudeikis said in a statement, “As we all continue to live in a world where so many factors have conditioned us to ‘Look before we leap’, in season four, the folks at AFC Richmond learn to ‘Leap before they look’, discovering that wherever they land, it’s exactly where they’re meant to be.”

He will also be reprising his onscreen as Ted in addition to his behind-the-scenes roles as a writer and executive producer. He co-created the series with Bill Lawrence, Brendan Hunt and Joe Kelly.

The possibility of a fourth season had been an open secret after a series of media reports regarding actors’ contracts being renewed. Then in January, cast member Nick Mohammed posted a video explaining he had to move a bunch of his stand-up dates because of filming commitments.

That in itself would not have been a blaring sign except that Mohammed held one up in video – the show’s iconic yellow and blue “BELIEVE” poster.

What was not clear until now was whether Sudeikis would be back playing Ted or if he would only be involved off-screen.

Ted Lasso had originally been conceived as a three-season story arc and when that third instalment wrapped in early 2023, it seemed as if Ted’s story had gone full circle.

The character started the show arriving in the UK as the coach of a football team despite not having any experience with the game. It was also an opportune moment as Ted and his wife were on a trial separation.

By the end of the season three finale, titled “So Long, Farewell”, Ted had returned to the US and was the coach of his son’s kids football team.

The rest of the characters had been cast off in several directions but there had been many dangling threads for a potential spin-off show to pick up.

The production has not revealed any details about stories or plotlines, or even which characters will be returning.

Previous media reports suggested the actors whose participation were being negotiated include Hannah Waddingham (Rebecca), Brett Goldstein (Roy), Jeremy Swift (Higgins), Hunt (Coach Beard) and Juno Temple (Keeley).

Many of the show’s producing team will be back, including Sudeikis, Hunt, Goldstein, Kelly, Jane Becker, Jamie Lee and Bill Wrubel. Jack Burditt, who has worked on 30 Rock, The Mindy Project, Modern Family and Nobody Wants This, will join the writing team.

Ted Lasso was one of Apple TV+’s early hits as tech company tried to establish itself as a player in the streaming race. The show won a slew of awards including two Emmys for best comedy.

Apple TV+’s head of programming Matt Cherniss in a statement today called Ted Lasso a “juggernaut” and added everyone at the company was “thrilled to be continuing our collaboration with Jason and the brilliant minds behind this show”.

When it ostensibly ended in 2023 without any concrete news it would return in any form, fans and industry immediately wanted to know if there would be more Ted Lasso in the future.

Sudeikis didn’t publicly comment in the two years since but co-creator Lawrence always said the show’s fate was up to Sudeikis.

Lawrence said in October, “Jason Sudeikis is the voice, heart, driving factor behind the show, not only professionally but on a personal level. That’s the dude whose life gets upended and who would be making the biggest sacrifices.”

The show was spun off a 2013 ad for NBC Sports in which Sudeikis played a clueless gridiron football coach who unexpectedly finds himself leading an English Premier League team.