Coach Chilton Is More Than Ted Lasso's Roy Kent Replacement

While there are obvious parallels between the new Ted Lasso character Coach Alice Chilton and the fan-favorite Roy Kent, calling her "the female Roy" is a bit reductive, and not entirely accurate. The second episode of Ted Lasso season 4, "Curioser and Curiouser!", sees the titular protagonist back on British soil, starting his job as head coach of AFC Richmond's first female soccer team.

Though the Lady Greyhounds welcome Ted with open arms, one person is less than thrilled by his presence: Alice Chilton. A former footballer who suffered an early career-ending injury, Alice is the Lady Greyhounds' assistant coach and is resentful that she was passed over for promotion in favor of Rebecca hiring Ted.

Of course, Ted being Ted, he sees the best in Alice right away, appreciating her intense commitment to the team and her shrewd observational skills. In contrast, Rebecca, Leslie, and everyone else at the club just see an overly blunt and unfriendly wet blanket.

The only other person at AFC Richmond who likes Alice besides Ted is Roy, who, unsurprisingly, finds the assistant coach's surly demeanor "hilarious." However, it's Coach Chilton's differences from Roy Kent that are what's most fascinating for her character, and since Ted convinced her to remain on the team, she'll only get more interesting throughout the rest of Ted Lasso season 4.

Coach Chilton Represents Something Bigger In Ted Lasso Season 4

Season 4 isn't just the same old Ted Lasso but with a women's team instead of a men's; it hits on major issues that real-life women's sports teams have to face, from funding struggles to a total lack of respect, problems that the original Greyhounds never even had to think about.

While much of the focus is on the new team members, it's through Coach Alice Chilton that season 4 is able to shine a light on the struggles of female professional sports off the pitch. As the Lady Greyhounds' assistant coach, Chilton's job is much closer to Ted and Rebecca's than it is to the players', and having been an athlete herself, Alice can offer her bosses a unique, insightful perspective about expectations for women in sports.

Ted Lasso Season 4 Doesn't Need A Roy Kent Replacement

Not only could nobody ever replace Roy Kent, but nobody needs to, because he's still in the show. Though Roy's work as the head coach of the men's Greyhounds team isn't the focus of season 4, he's still integral to the plot. The show gets plenty of his profane gruffness and ooey-gooey center as Roy and Keeley continue their will-they, won't they storyline.

With Alice sticking around, Ted Lasso season 4 has eight more episodes to flesh out her character even more fully. The Apple TV series is already showing that she has the capacity to evolve and grow, as the end of episode 2 sees her take in Rebecca's critical feedback and change her mind about resigning. Though future personality and coaching clashes with Ted are inevitable, it'll be intriguing to see how Coach Chilton's professional relationship with the protagonist develops.

It's true that Alice and Roy have similar personalities, and that, in and of itself, sheds an unflattering light on how women are perceived in every aspect of athletics. If anything, Roy's churlishness has been an asset in his post-football career, and he had his pick of jobs, briefly serving as a pundit before coaching the men's team. It was never a question of whether or not he was too unlikable for the role, and he assumed the head coach job with ease after Ted quit at the end of Ted Lasso season 3.

On the other hand, it's these qualities in Alice that are exactly why Rebecca didn't give her the promotion. Thankfully, the show seems to be aware of this double standard, and is making a point of examining it. As it does, it will be fascinating to see what's in store for both Alice Chilton and Roy Kent in Ted Lasso season 4.