Ted Lasso is back, three years after what appeared to be a true ending. Instead of rushing Ted back to the sidelines, Season 4 opens with “Home,” a surprisingly quiet episode that largely stays in Kansas City. Not to start a new season, but to explain why Ted would ever leave the life he worked so hard to build at the end of season 3. That makes for a more measured, more contemplative episode, favoring character over pace.
Ted (Jason Sudeikis) is first introduced as an assistant manager working at the local grocery store. It is no surprise that he does the job with the same compassion and kindness that made him such a good coach. He’s there for his son Henry, now played by Grant Feely. He and Michelle make good parents together, and he seems comfortable with everyday life. Ted can tell himself he’s happy but something is obviously missing. Henry no longer has a coach for his soccer team, because he feels like being a coach and a father pulls him in two different directions. He certainly made the right choice but he still misses the game every time he sees a soccer field.
That peaceful routine is shattered by the arrival of Hannah Waddingham as Rebecca Welton, Juno Temple as Keeley Jones and Jeremy Swift as Leslie Higgins in Kansas City. On paper they’re there to scout American players for Richmond’s new women’s team. They’re hoping to get Ted back, but not officially.
The visit contains some of the best moments in the episode. Rebecca loves the barbecue scene in Kansas City, Higgins makes an accidental trip to the museum into a history lesson, and Rebecca and Keeley get to reconnect with each other in a way that doesn’t feel forced. These scenes aren’t doing much for the plot, but they do show that Ted Lasso is always good for finding humor and warmth in everyday situations.
Rebecca finally tells him the real reason for the trip: they want Ted to coach Richmond’s new women’s team. Of course, he refuses immediately. Season 3 ended with Ted choosing family over football, and the premiere doesn’t shy away from that decision.
Ted doesn’t have a sudden change of heart, but the episode allows him to reflect as slowly doubts creep in, in the form of some conversations with Michelle, and a heartbreaking talk with his mother (Becky Ann Baker), as she prepares to sell the family home. The most touching scene in the episode is a private room in Ted’s home, quietly dedicated to his time at Richmond. It’s a simple reveal that gets the job done. It doesn’t say much but it says England never really left him. After a humorous text message exchange with Henry, Ted finally agrees to go back, if his family goes with him.
Around 42 minutes in, “Home” sometimes feels like it’s taking the long way around. Some scenes go on a bit too long and not every joke is delivered with the natural ease that made the best episodes of the show so great. But the slower pace is good for one thing. By the time Ted accepts Rebecca’s offer, it no longer feels like a convenience to him.
The premiere also shows what may be the most difficult thing about Season 4. Much of the old cast of Richmond is gone, and while the women’s team is an exciting new direction, the players haven’t had enough screen time to make us feel as strongly about them as the characters we’ve spent three seasons getting to know. Richmond’s core of veterans – Sudeikis, Waddingham, Temple, Swift and the rest – are the faces most people are used to seeing right now. We’ll see if the newcomers can develop that same bond as the season moves on.
The best thing about the episode is that it doesn’t just rewrite the Season 3 ending to bring Ted back to England. It’s easier to go back to the way things were, than to deal with the consequences of too many revivals that erase years of character growth in a matter of minutes. “Home” does the opposite, in contrast. The whole episode is almost about showing that Ted did start a new life in Kansas City, even if it’s not perfect. The grocery store, the family conversations, the quiet shrine to Richmond, all make it clear that his decision to leave was not a passing one; it was one with significance. That makes his return more the beginning of a new story than the “reset” button.
But the first episode makes it obvious that there are dangers in a soft reboot. But when you look at the Richmond women’s side, there are new stories to be told and we’ve got to start again with a lot of the supporting cast. The hallmarks of optimism, humor and emotional honesty are still there, thanks in large part to the returning cast’s ability to play their parts so well. What’s missing right now is the looseness that made the original Richmond locker room so memorable. Ultimately, the success of Season 4 will likely depend on how well this new group can get along with each other. “Home” does what it needs to do as a first episode though. Ted is back and it’s built on the ending of last season, so let’s hope the next one has more to offer than just nostalgia.