Ted Lasso Proves Season 5 Can Survive Without Ted

Ted Lasso season 4 was a surprising – but not unwelcome – return to Richmond after three years. The Ted Lasso season 3 finale put a nice bow on the arcs of many team members, but season 4 had a compelling reason to come back: a pivot in focus to the new women’s team.

Richmond’s Lady Greyhounds were new, but anchored by many fan-favorite returning Ted Lasso characters who supported the team, including Ted, Beard, Rebecca, and Keeley. The Ted Lasso season 4 finale was a moment of triumph for Rebecca and the Lady Greyhounds, who earned a promotion and sold out Nelson Road.

Ted Lasso’s season 4 premiere was the biggest in Apple TV’s history, proving the brand still had impressive drawing power, even after a three-year hiatus. However, recent comments from Jason Sudeikis indicate the show’s status is still in limbo, certainly without a confirmed renewal or opening a writers’ room.

Sudeikis previously suggested he had ideas for two more seasons of Ted Lasso, continuing through at least season 6. While he might have ideas for Ted Lasso the show, it’s less clear if the show has ideas for Ted Lasso the character. Ted and his brand of uncut optimism felt oddly inconsequential to the women’s team as a whole. Then, in the Ted Lasso season 4 finale, he chooses to step down as head coach. Given the groundwork already done in this latest season, it’s not just possible for the show to continue without Ted, it might actually be for the better.

Ted Lasso Was A Passive Character In Season 4

When the show's title character was brought back to Richmond to coach the women’s team, Rebecca didn’t even consider assistant coach Alice Chilton for Ted's position. He did suggest open tryouts, which led to Lizzie Davis and Shannon Hayes making the team, but beyond that, he didn’t have the same impact on the women as he did on the men.

Ted Lasso season 4, episode 7 crystallized the difference between men’s and women’s sports. Men just need to believe in themselves because everyone else already believes in them. “Believe” doesn’t have the same effect on women who are doing this job for pennies, working second jobs, and living out of cars. They already believe in themselves and the game. What they need is to win, and start changing other people’s opinions in the process.

Ted also remained surprisingly disconnected from the other major storylines. He did nothing to help Rebecca and Higgins uncover the Zelda plot. He wasn't involved in the Roy and Keeley relationship drama. He didn't even help his best friend, Coach Beard, through his midlife crisis. In the end, it was Boots who snapped Beard out of it.

It seemed like Ted was going to have his own romantic arc with the stage manager of Jane's show, only for the series to seemingly forget about it and listlessly tie it up by revealing that Ted is ready to find love. He fills out a dating app profile, only to delete it. Ted is passive not just in other characters' arcs, but in his own. For a character whose greatest strength was inspiring the people around him to change, season 4 rarely gives him the opportunity to make a meaningful difference.

Season 5 Could Easily Continue Without Ted Lasso

Ted has already taken a step back, handing over the whistle to the rightful leader of the Lady Greyhounds, Alice Chilton. He didn't connect with or inspire the women in the same way Alice and Beard did. Alice helped Gemma Jay rediscover her love for the sport, while Beard got Boots to start wearing gloves with just one cryptic comment.

Season 4 was sometimes criticized for repeating the original formula, although when that formula is so beloved and feel-good, that's not necessarily a bad thing. However, some of the weaker storylines, including Roy and Keeley's relationship drama or Rebecca's roller-coaster relationship with Matjis, came at the expense of getting to know the women of the Lady Greyhounds.

Season 4 demonstrated that Richmond has no shortage of people capable of making a meaningful difference in the lives of its players, especially with Keeley’s passion for the Lady Greyhounds. Without Ted anchoring the series, a potential season 5 of Ted Lasso could devote more time to developing its new ensemble and exploring the challenges of building a successful women's football team.

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In fact, Ted's departure might be the creative jolt the series needs to feel like a full reinvention rather than a routine sequel. A new assistant coach with a different energy from Ted, Beard, and Alice could also introduce a welcome dynamic to the coaching staff.

The series has already established that its characters can inspire and challenge one another in different ways. As Ted himself reminds everyone, it's not the Ted Lasso Way, it's the Richmond Way. A continuation into Ted Lasso season 5 without him isn't just possible. It might actually be an improvement.