Apple TV+'s comedy series Ted Lasso's season 4 renewal very unexpected. However, there were clues it was on the way, with Warner Bros. picking up its options on cast Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein, and Jeremy Swift back in August 2024.

In a recent interview with the British radio show Capital Breakfast (via CBR), Waddingham shares that it feels like the series is "rising from the dead."

In the interview, she discusses her career more broadly and new work on Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning. After speaking about her character Rebecca Welton's love of shortbread, Waddingham explains her feelings about returning to the series so unexpectedly:

We were all a bit like 'Oh, we thought we'd mourned the loss.' Now it's rising from the dead. It's amazing, amazing. We start shooting in July.

What Waddingham's Comments Mean For Ted Lasso

The Series Still Has Strong From Its Actors

Waddingham's comments about season 4 heavily imply that she, along with other cast and crew , had assumed that Ted Lasso would end after season 3 and was not going to make a comeback. Particularly with the actor framing it as having "mourned" the show, it is clear that there was never any expectation to see it return. However, seeing the new season as a potential rebirth highlights just how much the show means to Waddingham and the huge potential for it to become even more beloved as it expands.

Likewise, Waddingham's announcement that production will start in July 2025 is incredibly promising. From Ted Lasso's March renewal to a July filming date means that everyone involved is keen to get the project restarted. Current streaming TV shows can take a long time to move from the renewal to production stage, so this turnaround means that, despite Waddingham's surprise and the surprise of other Ted Lasso stars, everyone was quick to confirm their involvement.

Our Take On Ted Lasso's Return

Those Involved With The Show Must Feel There Is More Story To Tell

Though the characters' stories did come to fitting conclusions, the nature of the series made it such that there was always the possibility of a return. Additionally, since it ended, Ted Lasso has remained one of Apple TV+'s best and most popular shows. This means that there was always an audience desire for the series to return. While Hannah Waddingham was clearly surprised by the show's belated renewal, it also seems like many of the show's cast are excited to return to the world of Ted Lasso to explore the characters' new journeys.

Source: Capital Breakfast (via CBR)