With Ted Lasso season 4 penciled in for a summer 2026 release, anticipation is building around the storylines which could feature in this new season. Jason Sudeikis has already confirmed that Ted will be coaching a women’s football team this time around, and several new female actors have joined the cast, including at least one with considerable soccer skills.
But Sudeikis should make sure that he includes one of Ted Lasso’s original characters from season 1 in these plans for a women’s team. Back in the show’s pilot episode, Ted crossed paths with a young girl from Richmond, who was clearly a football fanatic.
They enjoyed a kickabout during this first chance meeting, and the girl was one of the few locals who initially gave Ted some encouragement about his coaching role. They’d continue to run into each other occasionally around town, and at the end of Ted Lasso season 3, she was seen getting her copy of Trent Crimm’s book about Ted signed.
This girl, whose name was revealed to be Shannon in the season 1 episode “Tan Lines”, seems like a great candidate to try out for AFC Richmond Women, if Ted is going to coach the team. She’s young, talented, and passionate about the sport. What’s more, she’s always had a good relationship with the team’s prospective manager.
Ted Lasso Season 4 Can Bring Back Shannon As A Star Player
Although actor Nick Mohammed has suggested that Ted Lasso season 4 will focus on new characters, Shannon is one returning character who finally has the chance to take on a bigger role in the show. Because the first three seasons focused on AFC Richmond’s men’s team, Shannon wasn’t eligible to play herself. But that’s about to change.
If AFC Richmond are going to launch a brand-new women’s team in season 4, then Shannon, who’s played by actor Shannon Hayes, could be one of its star players. Since she was around 16 years old during the show’s pilot episode, she should now be the ideal age to be joining the team as a talented young player.
In fact, given the football skills she’s demonstrated during her previous appearances in Ted Lasso, she could soon become one of AFC Richmond’s star players. This subplot would be the perfect full-circle moment for the series, bringing Ted back to where he started after arriving in Richmond at the beginning of season 1.
Shannon Made Friends With Ted In Season 1
Plenty of other Ted Lasso storylines need to be resolved in season 4, but Shannon’s character arc feels just as important as any of the show’s higher-profile subplots. Following their first chance encounter, she soon became friends with Ted, and would help him out with small gestures of kindness whenever she saw him.
It felt like these gestures were hinting at a bigger subplot further down the line, when Ted would get to reciprocate what Shannon had done for him. Season 4 could be the moment when this reciprocation finally happens, as Ted gives Shannon an opportunity to put her sporting talent to good use in a proper football team.
Ted Coaching AFC Richmond Women Could Ensure Shannon Makes The Team
An AFC Richmond women’s team was always a likely Ted Lasso storyline, whether in a season of the show itself or in another spinoff series. But the fact that Ted himself is expected to take the reins of the team is good news for Richmond resident Shannon, in particular.
Ted knows her personally, and has seen her football skills first-hand in multiple informal settings. With his help specifically, Shannon’s route to the AFC Richmond Women’s team could be fast-tracked, in one of Ted Lasso’s most heartwarming and inspiring storylines yet.
- Release Date
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August 14, 2020
- Showrunner
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Bill Lawrence
