Brendan Hunt said Will there be a season 5 of Ted Lasso had not been renewed yet, but he expected that to change shortly. For a show built around timing, that leaves Apple TV with a live decision on whether Ted Lasso moves beyond Season 4.
Hunt said he and Jason Sudeikis co-wrote the Season 4 finale, and he added that the team had an outside hope of bringing Anthony Head back in the last episode. He said, “We had an outside hope of bringing him back in the last episode.”
Anthony Head and Episode 409
Ted Lasso had already paid tribute to Anthony Head with an In Memoriam card in Episode 409. Hunt said, “We were told that that was not going to be possible. So yeah, we had an idea for a little thing but it was not going to happen.”
Anthony Head died on June 1 at the age of 72, after production wrapped on Season 4. Hunt said, “I mean, he didn’t pass until after we shot everything, so we’ll have to figure that out when and if we get the chance to reconvene.”
Rupert Mannion’s Season 4 arc
Rupert Mannion’s Season 4 story line began in episode 8, when he was suspected of secretly buying out AFC Richmond shares. By the end of episode 9, the culprit turned out to be Zelda, which reset the character stakes around who would carry that storyline forward if the show returns.
Annette Badland said, “I assumed he would be in this last [season], and didn’t know, as I think very few people knew, he was ill and just couldn’t do it,” and that leaves the Season 5 question tied to both renewal timing and casting realities. Hunt put the next step plainly: if Ted Lasso comes back, the team will have to figure out Rupert’s future, and that is the real business decision hanging over the series now.
