Ted Lasso Season 4: Odds on Kansas Cameos, Ratings Outlook

_{Ted Lasso's Jason Sudeikis returns to Kansas in Season 4 as betting heats up on celebrity cameos and series ratings. (Image: UNIVERSAL TELEVISION / Album)}

Ted Lasso series 4 production has kicked off for another season and this time the show is starting off in the US. When the final whistle blew on series three, titular character Ted, played by the show's co-developer Jason Sudeikis, moved back to his native Kansas from London's Richmond to be closer to his son, Henry.

The first three Ted Lasso series told the story of American college football coach Ted moving to England to coach fictional Premier League team AFC Richmond. However, the 4th season is expected to see Ted lead a brand-new AFC Richmond women's soccer team, which is the brainchild of club owner Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) and PR businesswoman Keeley Jones (Juno Temple).

With filming starting off in Kansas, there has been lots of fan speculation about whether any local celebrities or stars with a connection to the state might make cameos.

Chiefs to Make Swift Cameos? 

Pop megastar Taylor Swift has become synonymous with Kansas recently due to her relationship with NFL player Travis Kelce, who plays tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs. Swift has been credited with bringing more fans to American football since she started rocking up to games to cheer on her boyfriend and his team.

The Chiefs have won three of the last six Super Bowls, with their last victory coming in 2024 when Swift was there to spur them on. She also attended this year's Super Bowl, when the Chiefs were defeated by the Philadelphia Eagles.

If Ted's original football roots feature in the opening episode of Ted Lasso season 4, then there's a chance some of the Chiefs, or perhaps even the Love Story hitmaker, could feature.

Swift and Kelce are 6/4 joint favourites to make guest appearances in the 4th series, and Kelce's teammate, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, is a 3/1 shot.  

Ted Lasso's Shrinking Stars

We know Brett Goldstein has been in the writers' room for Ted Lasso series 4, and he looks set to reprise his role as former footballer-turned-coach Roy Kent, too.

Another of Goldstein's latest acting credits has come in the fellow Apple TV+ series Shrinking, on which he is a co-developer alongside US actor Jason Segel and Ted Lasso co-creator Bill Lawrence.

It wouldn't be a huge surprise if Goldstein and Lawrence recruited a couple of Lasso guest stars from the comedy-drama show. Harrison Ford, who received his first-ever Primetime Emmy Awards nomination this year for Shrinking, is 2/1 to appear in Ted Lasso season 4, and Segel is a 7/2 shot.

Several Kansas natives could also be in contention for a Ted Lasso cameo. Paul Rudd, who is a huge fan of the Chiefs, is just 5/2 to make a guest appearance, and Modern Family star Eric Stonestreet is 5/1.

Superstar singer Sheryl Crow is also known to be a big fan of the Chiefs, and she is 4/1 to pitch up on Ted Lasso season 4.

Series 4 Heading for Defeat? 

It's fair to say Ted Lasso's first two series were well received by critics.

On Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer, a measurement of critical entertainment recommendation for millions of fans, with its score representing the percentage of professional critic reviews for a film or TV show, series one achieved a 92 percent rating.

That was impressive enough for a debut season, but series two achieved near-perfect status with 98 percent. Some of the Tomatometer's Top Critics described the opening season as "full of heart" and like a "warm hug." But if series one was an emphatic win for Ted Lasso, season two didn't even give the opposition a single sight at goal.

Tomatometer Top Critic Eric Deggans, of NPR, said of series two: "The second season's episodes are just as good, if not better, than the first."

The Globe and Mail's John Doyle said, "The second season of Ted Lasso furthers the triumph." It was some achievement for a second series, but the follow-up season didn't quite perform at such levels. Critics scored series three 81 percent on the Tomatometer.

Entertainment Weekly's Kristen Baldwin described the latest season as having "bloated episodes" and "disjointed plotting," and The Atlantic's David Sims said it had "stopped being as funny." After season three's underwhelming critics score, compared to the first two series, is Ted Lasso chasing the game with time running out?

Some viewers have already expressed concern about the show continuing, rather than ending on a relative high, when Ted moved back to Kansas and the story seemed complete. There are fears a change in format could make it feel like a totally different programme.

_{Jason Sudeikis and the 'Ted Lasso' team won Outstanding Comedy Series at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2022. (Image: UPI/Alamy Live News)}

Amid the concerns, it's 7/4 favourite for Ted Lasso season 4 to be the lowest-rated yet, between 60 and 79 percent on the Tomatometer.

Believe 

However, if the casting is right and the episodes can recapture enough of the triumphant moments from series one and two, AFC Richmond's women's team could win over critics.

Ted Lasso is yet to dip below 80 percent for a series on the Tomatometer, and bosses will be confident that doesn't happen in the next season. It's just 2/1 that series 4 has a winning formula, scoring between 80 and 100 percent.

But Lasso chiefs may have scored an own goal bringing the show back if it doesn't perform well. It is 7/1 to receive between 20 and 39%, and a massive 10/1 to be a huge flop - odds like these might even tempt casino bonus hunters.

However, Ted, Rebecca and co. wouldn’t even be thinking like that. As optimistic Ted would say, "I believe in hope. I believe in believe."