‘Ted Lasso’ Season 4 Shocker: Jamie Tartt Won’t Return as Phil Dunster Exits the Series, Here’s Why

Ted Lasso Season 4 was not always guaranteed to happen. After Season 3 ended, many fans believed the story was finished, with Ted Lasso returning to Kansas City and leaving AFC Richmond behind. But one major event helped change the minds of the creators: the rise of England’s women’s football team, the Lionesses.

The Lionesses won the UEFA Women’s Championship in 2022 while the third season of Ted Lasso was being filmed. Their victory created huge excitement across England and showed the growing popularity of women’s football. According to co-creator and executive producer Brendan Hunt, who also plays Coach Beard, that moment became a major inspiration for bringing the show back.

“We got to watch in real time as the country went from ‘oh right, yeah, sure, women’s football’ to ‘yes! The Lionesses are the greatest ever!’ because they beat Germany in added time at Wembley,” Hunt explained. He added that the excitement around the team stayed with the creators after filming ended and eventually became part of the idea for the new season.

The possibility of a women’s AFC Richmond team was actually teased at the end of Season 3. Rebecca Welton and Keeley Jones discussed the idea of adding a women’s team to the club, leaving the door open for future stories. Hunt said that idea became the foundation for the return of the series.

“We definitely wanted to leave ourselves a breadcrumb, in case we wanted to find our way back,” Hunt said.

The creative team spent time figuring out how Ted could realistically return to Richmond after choosing his family at the end of Season 3. Hunt revealed that the writers gathered in Ojai, California, for a retreat where they discussed possible directions for the story.

“If we came back, what would it be? What could it be?” Hunt said about those early conversations. The team considered several ideas, including keeping the story in America, but they eventually decided that London and AFC Richmond were too important to leave behind.

Once the decision was made, the writers focused on creating a believable reason for Ted to return. The new season begins with Ted living a quiet life in Kansas City, working at a grocery store and spending time with his son. However, it becomes clear that something is missing. When Rebecca, Keeley, and Higgins visit him with the offer to coach Richmond’s new women’s team, Ted is forced to decide whether he is ready for another big change.

Hunt explained that the writers wanted to show Ted’s journey instead of quickly jumping back into football.

“There is a strong TV-making argument for ‘just skip all that! He’s back. Who cares?’ But that’s just not our way,” he said. The team wanted viewers to understand why Ted would make such a major choice.

Season 4 also introduces new characters, including Tanya Reynolds’ Alice Chilton, a coach who is not immediately impressed by Ted. Meanwhile, some familiar faces will have new paths. Jamie Tartt, played by Phil Dunster, will not return because his character has moved on to play for FC Barcelona.

Hunt explained that Jamie leaving also made sense for the story because successful players would naturally move to bigger clubs.

“If this team is doing so well, then the best players would be gone. They’d be bought by bigger clubs,” Hunt said.

The new season is built around the idea of taking chances and making unexpected choices. Hunt described the theme as “leap before you look,” explaining that people sometimes have to take risks to truly move forward.

While there is no confirmed plan for more seasons after this one, Hunt says the team remains hopeful about continuing the story. “I wouldn’t say that there’s a plan exactly, but there’s definitely crossed fingers,” he said.