Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster) has no business returning to conclusive finale of season 3, but two years after "So Long, Farewell", Ted (Jason Sudeikis) is coming back to the pitch. Who he's bringing with him is a bit more of an open question. So far, there's been little to no news about the cast, but that hasn't stopped speculation.

Jason Sudeikis at one point said Ted Lasso season 3 would be the end of the story fans had come to enjoy, though he left room for potential spinoffs (via Deadline). So it's clear the showrunners were writing a story and characters with only three seasons in mind. This means that for a lot of characters, their arcs are all wrapped up, in some cases. Jamie Tartt is one of these cases. Jamie Tartt is a striker for AFC Richmond and a blowhard for most of the series. His journey from selfish player to team leader is an excellent watch, and better left alone.

Phil Dunster Will Likely Not Be Returning For Ted Lasso Season 4

Dunster Has Scheduling Conflicts With His Other Shows

At the risk of making this article moot, it sounds like a British thriller starring Peter Capaldi; and Surface as Quinn, an Apple TV+ psychological thriller.

However, on the November 22, 2024, episode of the Always Be Comedy podcast, Dunster gave a more optimistic answer regarding his appearance in Ted Lasso season 4. When asked about the season, Dunster seemed to imply that he would be willing to come back,

"I would always pick up that phone and I would always say 'How high? if Jason [Sudeikis] said 'jump'".

Dunster did couch this response with a comment suggesting Sudeikis calling him about Ted Lasso is unlikely,

"There are certain of the cast who have been re-upped, as it were... So I'm not one of those people who's been re-upped, But also I say that with total love and acceptance that shows move on and things happen. I think that there was some belief at this time that it's because I had booked something else, that was [the reason] that I wasn't doing it. That wasn't the case."

Apparently, reports that Dunster had a scheduling conflict were not completely accurate. They do seem to be prophetic, however, because Dunster does have a new show at this time. He's set to appear in a new Bill Lawrence HBO comedy series that will star Steve Carell. The unnamed show is set on a college campus and revolves around an author's difficult relationship with his daughter. Whether he could come back for a guest appearance is left up in the air. It sounds like Dunster would be all for it if he can make the schedules work.

Jamie Tartt's Redemption Arc Is One Of The Best Storylines In The Series

Jamie Goes From An Obnoxious Player To A Selfless Teammate

Jamie Tartt has one of the best storylines in Ted Lasso, and it would be hard to improve upon it if he appeared in season 4. Jamie started off the series as an obnoxious footballer who only cared about himself and his own success. From the moment he first appeared in season 1, Jamie proved to be an insufferable and self-absorbed player who created a toxic locker room environment. On loan from Man City, Jamie felt like he had no attachments to Richmond. However, halfway through the season, Jamie offers a look into the interior he's carefully guarded.

Though his mother was always present, his father was absent until Jamie's football career took off. Since then, his priority has always been to impress his volatile and cruel father, who is only satisfied when Jamie is winning. In season 2, Jamie left football to participate in a reality show, a veiled dig at his father, but eventually returned to the game. Man City refused to take him, but Richmond cautiously let him back in. Jamie's real moment of reckoning came in season 2, episode 8, "Man City".

After being berated by his father in front of the entire team, he punches the man who has caused him so much pain.

After being berated by his father in front of the entire team, he punches the man who has caused him so much pain. He then breaks down crying in front of everyone, the first time he's ever shown such emotion. In response, the gruff Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) hugs him. It's a moving moment and an important step forward for the character. To cap off his development in season 2, Jamie does the unthinkable for the selfish player, and hands off the game-winning penalty kick to Dani Rojas (Cristo Fernández), his former rival, and secures the win.

Season 3 was the culmination of everything Jamie had gone through. After spending the season training with Roy, once unthinkable, he is expected to go play Man City, confronting a major demon from his past in the form of the club. In the pentultimate episode of Ted Lasso season 3, he talks to his mother, and between her, Ted, Roy, and Keeley (Juno Temple), he gets his confidence back, works through his injury, and scores the game-winning goal in the face of his old team and his father. It's as classic an arc as you can get.

There's No Good Reason For Jamie To Return To The Series

Jamie's Arc Would Lose Meaning If He Returned

Jamie Tartt is one of the best written characters in Ted Lasso and his journey from snobbish jerk to selfless teammate is one that takes time to develop and requires the help of many of the main characters in Ted Lasso. It's carefully built across three seasons and never felt rushed or dragged out. It didn't take a few episodes to transform Jamie Tartt into the character we all know and love. It took every one of the 34 episodes Jamie appeared in to understand his character. To miss one episode is to miss a critical part of his development.

That's the sign of a great character arc. Bringing Jamie back for Ted Lasso season 4 would be a tricky prospect indeed. There isn't another direction for Jamie to go except backwards, and that would be a massive disservice to the character. Having him return would risk all the ways he's grown over three seasons. Sure, there are more life challenges for someone like Jamie to experience, but if they were more potent than what happened in the first three seasons, then his journey would feel less than. Jamie returning would be more about fan service than anything.

Plenty Of Other Ted Lasso Characters Should Return For Season 4

Keeley Needs To Finish Out Her Storyline

Besides, Ted Lasso season 4 has plenty of characters who still need a proper wrap-up to their storylines. Not everyone got the Jamie Tartt treatment, and not every character had a well-crafted arc. Several characters should return for Ted Lasso season 4, including Roy, Nate Shelley (Nick Mohammed), Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham), and maybe most importantly, Keeley.

Keeley's storyline did not end the right way in season 3, and she never picked a romantic partner, showing a lack of character agency emblematic of her time on the show. Keeley deserves a storyline tied to the main plot in Ted Lasso season 4, just like Jamie Tartt's was. With Keeley and Rebecca possibly starting a women's team together, that could be just the opportunity to give her a real arc.