One ‘Ted Lasso’ Audience Fave Will Not Return For Rumored Season 4 Renewal

Amid the recent reports that Ted Lasso will be renewed for a highly anticipated fourth season, fans may be disappointed to hear that one beloved character may not appear in the new season: Phil Dunster.

The hit Apple TV+ show ended in 2023 with a Season 3 finale that looked an awful lot like a series finale. However, Deadline reports that Warner Bros. Television picked up the options on cast members Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein, and Jeremy Swift, who are part of the UK acting union Equity. The studio is expected to start reaching out to the SAG-AFTRA actors whose contracts have expired, including Jason Sudeikis and Brendan Hunt, who executive produce and co-created the show, and Juno Temple.

However, it looks like Dunster will not be able to return for the new season due to scheduling conflicts. Deadline reports the actor was not picked up “presumably due to a conflict with another series.” Dunster currently stars in The Devil’s Hour on Prime Video and Surface on Apple TV+.

Dunster starred as Jamie Tartt, AFC Richmond’s arrogant star player who became an audience favorite throughout the show’s three seasons.

Decider reached out to Dunster’s reps for comment but did not hear back in time for publication.

If he is not able to return in a regular capacity, however, that doesn’t mean that fans will not get to see the beloved footballer at least one more time. There’s always a chance that he’ll make a guest appearance if Season 4 actually gets the green light.

Season 3 ended in true Ted Lasso fashion with a happy ending: Keeley (Temple) and Rebecca (Waddingham) teamed up to start their own women’s league, Ted Lasso (Sudeikis) flew back to Kansas to be with his family, and Roy Kent (Goldstein) was promoted to AFC Richmond manager.

Apple TV+ has yet to confirm the reports that Ted Lasso will be renewed.

But Warner Bros. TV Group chair Channing Dungey told Variety in early 2024, “…You watched the finale, there’s a little bit of a door that could be kicked back open if need be…I wouldn’t put the period on the end of that sentence just yet… Should the opportunity arise, we’d be excited to jump back in to making more … There are always conversations that are ongoing, just nothing that’s official.”

As for Dunster, the actor has expressed how much he’ll “miss” playing Tartt.

“He has an element to him, which I just don’t, and that is a total conviction of who he is,” the actor told Esquire in 2023. “He’s a little terror, but he’s learned to be that guy with some kindness. I’ll miss just knowing this dude intimately and all of his choices. It was a real gift.”