Hannah Waddingham Has No Idea Whether ‘Ted Lasso’ Is Coming Back Again, and She’s Cracking Jokes About Pay

For a show that was supposed to be done, the future of ‘Ted Lasso‘ has been remarkably hard to pin down. The third season finale felt like a punctuation mark on the show, even though it was never billed as a series finale, leaving the future ambiguous. Cast members spent the following years admitting they were just as much in the dark as fans.

That changed in March 2025, when Jason Sudeikis confirmed the fourth season was happening on a podcast. The new episodes followed Ted as he coached a second division women’s team in Richmond, and the season premiered on Aug. 5, with new episodes dropping weekly on Wednesdays. Sudeikis said the return was something he needed as much as viewers did.

Now, with that run behind it, one of the show’s biggest stars is being asked the same question all over again. Hannah Waddingham, who plays AFC Richmond owner Rebecca Welton, says she genuinely doesn’t know whether ‘Ted Lasso’ will return for a fifth season. Caught on a press line, she joked that the cast would probably all do it even without getting paid, before quickly asking that nobody tell the studio.

Hannah Waddingham says she “genuinely” doesn’t know if “Ted Lasso” will return for Season 5: “We’d all probably do it if we didn’t get paid… don’t tell them that!” https://t.co/07o3ORfzNI

— Variety (@Variety) November 6, 2026

It is not the first time Waddingham has played this card. After the finale debuted, she told The Hollywood Reporter she genuinely doesn’t know if the show will return. Asked by Entertainment Weekly whether it was over, she said none of them knew. She even suggested she wasn’t sure Sudeikis himself had decided.

She has also been consistently clear about her own interest. Waddingham has said she would love another season or spinoff, but only if Sudeikis was down for it, noting that Rebecca doesn’t exist unless she plays her. That loyalty is part of why her latest comment lands as a wink rather than a worry.

Apple TV has not officially greenlit ‘Ted Lasso’ for a fifth season. Still, the signals have been encouraging. Apple TV programming head Matt Cherniss suggested Sudeikis was already thinking beyond the fourth season, and Eddy Cue, the executive overseeing Apple TV, said he hopes it returns.

Reports have gone further. One earlier report suggested there are plans for at least two more seasons, with a writers’ room for a possible fifth season opening in late August. Another report claimed Apple would begin filming in January, which would point to a return in 2027, though Apple has not confirmed that timeline.

The creative case for continuing is on the table too. Sudeikis is said to be planning a three-season arc for the women’s team, which would stretch the story well beyond the fourth season. If that holds, the next batch of episodes would be a middle chapter rather than a curtain call.

The business case looks strong as well. According to a Variety report, the fourth season was the biggest launch in the history of Apple TV, outpacing all previous seasons of ‘Ted Lasso’ as well as buzzy titles like ‘Severance’ and ‘Pluribus’. That is the kind of result that tends to keep renewal conversations short.

Sonreíd, el 5 de agosto regresa Ted Lasso Nuevo tráiler de la Temporada 4! https://t.co/Ks6dTJQsYp

— Lugar Cinema🎬 (@LugarCinema) July 28, 2026

The cast is also in good shape on the contract side. Television previously picked up the options for Hannah Waddingham, Jeremy Swift and Brett Goldstein, who are covered by Equity contracts. Sudeikis, Brendan Hunt, Juno Temple and the rest of the core group were all slated to return for the fourth season, so a fifth would likely start from a very familiar lineup.

For now, then, the honest answer is the one Waddingham keeps giving. Apple hasn’t made an announcement, the cast says it doesn’t know, and everyone seems happy to joke about it while they wait.

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