Ted Lasso Season 4's Story Is Officially Making History For AFC Richmond
Ted Lasso season 4 is shaking things up for AFC Richmond in a big way.
Apple TV's Emmy-winning comedy returns after a three-year wait, seeing Jason Sudeikis' titular character returning to London to reunite with his friends and help coach the new AFC Richmond Women's Team, having to adjust to an entirely new group dynamic. All the while, Brett Goldstein's Roy and Juno Temple's Keeley navigate the rocky road to a potential reconciliation, and the latter finds herself presented with challenges in her new role working with Hannah Waddingham's Rebecca to manage the team.
Ahead of the show's August 5 return, ScreenRant's Tatiana Hullender interviewed Faye Marsay to discuss Ted Lasso season 4. When asked about her character having to balance being a key player for the team along with being a parent, the new star called it "very important" that the show is utilizing Lizzie to "highlight that women in sport have to, at the moment, make a decision about when the timing is right to have children," while also determining "how they keep their athleticism":
Faye Marsay: How do they keep themselves ready to go at any point and also be mothers? I think it's really important. It's a very small percentage of female athletes in the British Premier League who have children and players, so I hope it starts a conversation around how we deal with women's health in sport and women wanting to be mothers. As the season goes on, we'll see how she manages that. It's a bit up and down, but you'll see.
Ted Lasso season 4's Lizzie being a player with a child officially makes for a major change in AFC Richmond's history in making her the first with said familial ongoings. Across its first three seasons, the closest the show saw any team member focused on a child was that of Sudeikis' titular character grappling with raising Henry from afar, as well as Roy often acting as a father figure for his niece, Phoebe.
Much to Marsay's point, in showcasing Lizzie balancing her parenthood with her career, Ted Lasso season 4 has the ability to highlight the mental and physical hurdles many real-world players have faced with said balance. Hannah Blundell recently made history for Manchester United in being the first player to return to playing following the birth of her daughter, while former Chelsea midfielder Melanie Leupolz, who recently retired from international play, utilized her platform for advocacy of normalizing motherhood in elite football.
Interestingly, Lizzie won't be the only major AFC Richmond member to find themselves balancing parenthood with the team in season 4. Rebecca will be continuing her relationship with Matthijs after a chance encounter with him and his daughter in the Ted Lasso season 3 finale, while Brendan Hunt's Coach Beard was seen not only marrying his on-again-off-again partner Jane, but that she was also pregnant during the ceremony.
With Henry, now played by Grant Feely, expected to have a bigger role in the upcoming season, Ted Lasso season 4 does look to be very focused on family as much as launching the AFC Richmond Women's Team. Given Sudeikis also confirmed that early talks are already underway for season 5 of the hit series, it will be interesting to see how season 4 sets up Lizzie and everyone else for new family arcs going forward.
Ted Lasso season 4 premieres on Apple TV on August 5, followed by new episodes every Wednesday.