The comedy-drama\u2019s fourth season sees Jason Sudeikis\u2019s endlessly optimistic football coach return to the UK to lead Richmond\u2019s Women\u2019s Football Club with the help of Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein), owner Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham<\/a>), coach Willis Beard (Brendan Hunt) and Keeley Jones (Juno Temple). <\/p>\n However, with the series\u2019 new focus being the women\u2019s team, the likes of Phil Dunster \u2013 who played midfielder Jamie Tartt \u2013 as well as Toheeb Jimoh, Kola Bokinni, Cristo Fern\u00e1ndez and other stars who played footballers have not reprised their roles. <\/p>\n Now, actor and co-showrunner Hunt has shed more light on why they weren\u2019t invited back. <\/p>\n In an interview with Variety<\/a>, Hunt said that Dunster couldn\u2019t make filming work with his schedule, adding that it also would not have made narrative sense for the Richmond FC Men\u2019s team to still be kicking about. Dunster currently stars in Steve Carrell comedy Rooster, another show from Ted Lasso creator Bill Lawrence.<\/p>\n \u201cPhil was going to be busy, but also, it would have strained credulity a bit further than we wanted to if all the old team were still on Richmond,\u201d Hunt said. <\/p>\n \u201cIf this team is doing so well, then the best players would be gone. They\u2019d be bought by bigger clubs.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Hunt also revealed that it took Sudeikis a while to consider whether Ted Lasso should come back after season three, which he previously had said was its final outing. <\/p>\n \u201cThere would be one sort of baby-step text message of intrigue, like every three months,\u201d he said. \u201cI never got my hopes up. I really wanted to do it, but I wanted him to want to do it. I didn\u2019t want to be among the people who were pushing him or pressuring him. So I never brought it up. <\/p>\n \u201cAnytime he brought it up, I\u2019d be like, \u2018Sounds good,\u2019 and then wait and see if it ever came up again. When, finally, I got the word of, \u2018It\u2019s happening, we\u2019re going to do that women\u2019s team thing that I\u2019ve been thinking about,\u2019 it was like \u2018Great! Now I can get on with my life! Let\u2019s go!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Sudeikis previously spoke about having to tell the former Ted Lasso stars that he had written them out of the show, revealing last month that he had \u201cvery difficult\u201d individual phone calls <\/a>with them. <\/p>\n \u201cBecause I didn\u2019t want them to hear it on the internet,\u201d the Saturday Night Live alum<\/a> told the outlet. \u201cAnd because I love those guys and we all went through something together.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Phil](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Ted_Lasso_Photo_010603.jpg\")
Phil Dunster as Jamie Tartt in ‘Ted Lasso’ (Apple)<\/p>\n![\"Jason](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/01KZ33FY7P5BMC2C3J2MQFAJ9W.jpg\")
Jason Sudeikis with new star Tanya Reynolds in ‘Ted Lasso’ season four (PA)<\/p>\n