4K Ultra HD Review – Ted Lasso: The Richmond Way (2025)

      Ted Lasso: The Richmond Way

      Featuring Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Jeremy Swift, Phil Dunster, Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt, Nick Mohammed, Juno Temple, Sarah Niles, Anthony Head, Toheeb Jimoh, Cristo Fernández, Kola Bokinni, Billy Harris, and James Lance.

      SYNOPSIS:

      If acquiring a 4K upgrade matters to you, then you likely represent the target audience for this new 4K Ultra HD box set of Apple TV+’s delightful series, Ted Lasso. It has the same setup as the previously released Blu-ray version and lacks bonus features, but if you haven’t explored this series on home video before, why not opt for the 4K version?

      I’m penning this the day after the tragic event that claimed the lives of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner. It seems appropriate to reflect on the Apple TV+ series Ted Lasso, as it offers a wonderful distraction from distressing news, much like it did when it debuted during the pandemic.

      I’ve certainly grown a bit more cynical as I’ve aged, but I can’t help but smile at the folksy charm of Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis), an American college football coach who is brought to the UK to manage a soccer (or football, as it’s known in Europe) team owned by Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham). She acquired the team through a divorce and secretly hopes that Ted will sabotage AFC Richmond to make her ex-husband miserable.

      Ah, to have the wealth to engage in such a game. Naturally, Ted and his assistant coach, Willis Beard (Brendan Hunt), manage to unite AFC Richmond’s players and propel them up the Premier League standings in the third and final season.

      The players resemble an adult soccer version of The Bad News Bears, including: Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein), a serious veteran who later joins the coaching staff; Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster), a talented young player brimming with self-importance; Zava (Maximilian Osinski), another skilled but eccentric player; Sam Obisanya (Toheeb Jimoh), a well-meaning young Nigerian player; and more. (If you think Kent and Tartt echo the Crash Davis/Nuke Laloosh dynamic in Bull Durham, you’re right; their relationship is quite similar.)

      Supporting characters around the team include: Keeley Jones (Juno Temple), a model and Jamie’s girlfriend who eventually takes on marketing and PR for the team before pursuing her own path; Nate Shelley (Nick Mohammed), an equipment manager with a knack for soccer strategy; Leslie Higgins (Jeremy Swift), the timid and distinctly British director of football operations; and Trent Crimm (James Lance), a reporter who plays a larger role in the third season as he writes a book about the club titled The Richmond Way.

      The series has a pleasant narrative arc across its three seasons, as Ted and Coach Beard adapt to a new country and a sport they are not familiar with (while Ted navigates his failing marriage and separation from his son) and other characters embark on their personal journeys. Many character revelations tread familiar ground, like Jamie’s abusive father, but Ted is so engaging that it hardly detracts from the experience.

      I felt a bit down when Ted Lasso concluded, but I’ve learned to appreciate the value of allowing a series to complete its narrative gracefully. (Let’s hope Apple’s latest offering, Pluribus, achieves the same; I remain optimistic.) I was genuinely satisfied with the series finale, although I wouldn’t have minded a spin-off featuring Rebecca and Keeley that doesn’t necessarily revolve around soccer.

      However, earlier this year, two years after the series finale, it was revealed that Ted Lasso would be returning for a fourth season, so we’ll soon find out what Sudeikis and the crew have in store for more episodes. I am pleased with the series' bittersweet ending, and I hope the new episodes won’t merely revisit familiar themes. As the saying goes, you can’t step in the same river twice, so let’s see these characters embark on fresh adventures, even if soccer remains the backdrop.

      If you’re a fan, you’ve likely already acquired the Blu-ray edition of Ted Lasso: The Richmond Way, meaning this new 4K Ultra HD version is probably only worth upgrading to if you have the appropriate setup that fully utilizes 4K. From what I gather, the video quality is largely the same, with the addition of Dolby Vision.

      Each season comes in its own case, and you receive eight discs featuring the 34 episodes. Unfortunately, similar to the Blu-ray release, there are no bonus features, which is disappointing. Was it really so difficult for the creators to gather Sudeikis and a few cast and production members to discuss a show