Fans of Ted Lasso received a wonderful and surprising bit of news over the weekend, as it was revealed that three of the show’s series regulars had their contracts picked up for a fourth installment. Since the series seemingly ended last year, there have been a ton of questions as to whether or not it would find a way to move forward, perhaps following a different story. With stars Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein, and Jeremy Swift now picked up for a new installment of the show, the wait begins to see if Apple TV+ and Warner Bros. Television will actually get the band back together and move forward.
That initial report indicated that the three actors whose options were picked up were all part of the UK acting union Equity, which is different than the American SAG-AFTRA. So that’s why stars like Jason Sudeikis, Brendant Hunt, and Juno Temple weren’t included in that first wave. Another missing name was Phil Dunster, who played fan-favorite footballer Jamie Tartt, but it appears he may not be able to star in the fourth season of Ted Lasso, should it happen.
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According to Puck News‘ Matthew Belloni, Dunster won’t be able to return to Ted Lasso as a series regular at this time, given his commitments to other shows like Surface and The Devil’s Hour. Belloni suggested that he could pop up in a guest starring or recurring capacity, but that a full-time return currently seems off the table.
There’s no telling what a fourth season of Ted Lasso would look like, especially since the third season delivered what felt like an ending for Sudeikis’ title character and sent him back across the pond. If Ted stays in America and the show focuses on the rest of the Richmond AFC crew working through another football season, it would be even more difficult to see Jamie go.
Goldstein and Waddingham returning are great signs, though, given their prominence in the story and their prowess during awards season. Both of them won Emmys for their work on Ted Lasso, and their characters are arguably at the forefront of any story that could potentially be told at Richmond. Waddingham’s Rebecca is the owner of the entire club, while Goldstein’s Roy Kent took over as the team manager at the end of Season 3, following Ted’s departure.
Nothing is official yet, but the new installment of Ted Lasso could start filming early next year.
