Jason Sudeikis Reveals the Real Inspiration Behind 'Ted Lasso' Season 4

For three years, "Ted Lasso" looked finished.

The Emmy-winning comedy wrapped its third season with Ted heading home to Kansas, AFC Richmond moving forward without him and fans left believing the final whistle had blown on one of television's most beloved sports series.

So when Apple TV+ announced "Ted Lasso" would return for a fourth season, the obvious question wasn't whether viewers would tune in.

It was why Jason Sudeikis decided there was another story left to tell. As it turns out, the answer had very little to do with the Premier League.

Instead, Sudeikis says it came from something he was witnessing in real life: the remarkable rise of women's sports.

Speaking with Extra, the actor explained that spending time around elite women's athletes gradually changed the way he thought about where "Ted Lasso" could go next.

"I think a lot of stuff I was experiencing outside of myself, you know, and (things) going on in the world," Sudeikis said when asked what inspired another season.

A front-row seat to one of sports' biggest movements

Sudeikis said he and his family have become regulars at New York Liberty games, where they're season-ticket holders.

Their seats sit beside the visiting team's bench, giving him an unusually close look at the conversations, coaching and competitiveness that unfold throughout every game.

📸 | jason sudeikis with his family during LA sparks vs NY liberty in LA tonight pic.twitter.com/x560q0BFcE
— Jason Sudeikis Updates (@SudeikisNews) June 22, 2026

"The absolute pleasure of, you know, befriending numerous female athletes. My family and I, my sisters and my kids, we go to a lot of, you know, WNBA games in New York," he said.

"(We're) season ticket holders for the Liberty. And, you know, our seats are right next to the opposing bench..."

Rather than simply watching the action, Sudeikis found himself captivated by everything happening around it.

"My favorite thing about these seats... I get to interact with the Liberty all the time because I see them socially."

Then came the moment when the idea for Season 4 began to take shape.

"To see these women and then their coaching staff, I'm just hearing all this stuff," he said. "And (I'm) not taking notes, but it's just an energy that I was like, 'Boy, oh boy, I sure do think it'd be neat to do it with the way we do our show in that realm.'"

For Sudeikis, it wasn't one game or one conversation that changed his mind. It was watching the momentum surrounding women's sports continue to build and realizing there was an entirely new world for "Ted Lasso" to explore.

Why Season 4 will look very different

That inspiration didn't immediately become a new season.

Sudeikis said he slowly began testing the idea with the writers and creative team behind the show, asking whether they believed audiences would embrace a different direction.

"Then little by little I was asking other people that we worked with, like, 'Would this be exciting to you?'"

The response was overwhelmingly positive. "And that came back with affirmation. So little by little. Yes by a thousand cuts."

The result is a significant shift for the series.

Apple TV+ has confirmed that Season 4 will follow Ted as he returns to Richmond to coach AFC Richmond's newly formed women's team, marking the franchise's biggest creative pivot since it debuted in 2020.

It's also a reflection of how much the sports landscape has changed since "Ted Lasso" first premiered.

As attendance records continue to fall, television audiences climb and leagues like the WNBA enjoy unprecedented visibility, Sudeikis saw an opportunity to tell a story that feels every bit as timely as the original series did five years ago.

If "Ted Lasso" has always been about believing in people, Season 4 appears ready to ask audiences to believe in the next chapter of the sports world itself.

The next chapter premieres Wednesday, August 5, 2026, on Apple TV+.

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