Hannah Waddingham does not know if Ted Lasso season 5 will happen, and she said so plainly this week. Speaking to Us Weekly at the Women In Film Honors on Thursday, November 5, the actress who has played AFC Richmond owner Rebecca Welton since 2020 said she has no answer yet on the future of the Apple TV hit.
Apple has still not announced a renewal, and no writers room has started. But Waddingham made one thing clear: if the writing stays strong, she is in. Season 4 ended on October 7, 2026, and with searches for Ted Lasso surging again, the question fans keep asking is the same one Waddingham was asked on the red carpet.
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Quick Facts
| Show | Ted Lasso, Apple TV |
| Question | Will Ted Lasso return for season 5? |
| Short answer | Not confirmed. Apple has not announced a renewal. |
| Who spoke | Hannah Waddingham, who plays Rebecca Welton |
| When and where | Women In Film Honors, Thursday, November 5, 2026, Beverly Hilton |
| Her answer | “I don’t know.” |
| Season 4 run | August 5 to October 7, 2026, ten episodes |
| Season 4 finale | “Being Alive,” October 7, 2026 |
| Season 5 status | No renewal, no writers room, no premiere date |
What Hannah Waddingham Actually Said
Waddingham was at the Women In Film Honors to receive the Crystal Award for Advocacy in TV, and Us Weekly asked her the question every Ted Lasso fan wants answered. Asked about a possible fifth season, she played it straight and said, “I don’t know.” She added that the season finales always leave fans and the stars wanting more, which is exactly how season 4 ended.
Then she explained what would bring her back. “I think you stay with something as long as it has something to say, don’t you? You know, with friends, with shows, with all of it, and the writers that we have in our writers’ room are gangsters. They’re epic. So, as long as they’re writing magnificent material, which they do always, they have me in their pocket,” she told Us Weekly. It was not a yes to season 5, because there is no season 5 to say yes to yet. It was a promise that the door is open.
She also confirmed that she loves shooting the show and would never turn down the chance to play Rebecca again. That fits with what she has said for years. Back in 2023, she told Bazaar she would never be ready to say goodbye to Rebecca, or to hang up her high heels, and sent what she called a gentle, friendly nudge to Jason Sudeikis, the star and co-creator of the show, and the person whose decision matters most for the future of Ted Lasso season 5.
The Women In Film Honors was a big night for television, and Waddingham was not the only star there. Salma Hayek received the Jane Fonda Humanitarian Award at the same event, and you can read our report on Salma Hayek turning 60 and being honoured at the Women In Film Honors. For Waddingham, the night was also a reminder of how far Rebecca has come, from a club owner trying to ruin a football team to one of the most loved characters on television.
How Season 4 Ended
To understand why the season 5 question is so hard to answer, it helps to remember how season 4 ended. The fourth season premiered on August 5, 2026, after a three year gap, and ran for ten weekly episodes on Apple TV. Ted returned to London to coach AFC Richmond’s new women’s team, a second division side, with a three year time jump in the story. New characters joined the club, led by Alice Chilton, played by Tanya Reynolds, and the season built to a finale full of big changes.
The finale, titled “Being Alive,” aired on October 7, 2026. It opened with a celebration of life for Mae, the owner of the Crown and Anchor pub, played by Annette Badland. Mae left the pub to Paul, Baz and Jeremy, and left her shares in the club to Rebecca, which gave Rebecca majority control of AFC Richmond again.
Roy Kent, played by Brett Goldstein, was offered the head coach job at his old club Chelsea, and told Rebecca and Ted he was leaving Richmond. Roy and Keeley, played by Juno Temple, finally got back together, and Rebecca proposed to her Dutch boyfriend, deciding she was done holding back.
It was an ending that closed a lot of stories and opened a few new ones. Ted handed the women’s team to Alice, Rebecca took full control of the club, and Roy walked away to a new job. That is why fans are split on whether the show should come back. Some feel the story ended in the right place. Others want to see what happens next, especially with the women’s team and with Roy at Chelsea.
Where Ted Lasso Season 5 Stands Right Now
The honest status of Ted Lasso season 5 is simple: nothing is confirmed. Apple has not ordered a fifth season, and as of late October, no writers room had started. That is the position every key person involved has given in public.
Brendan Hunt, who plays Coach Beard and co-created the show, spoke on the day of the finale. He told Deadline that he certainly hopes a fifth season happens and that he is optimistic, but added that he had not heard anything official yet. Sudeikis said much the same on the Talk Easy podcast in remarks reported on October 19. He said he would like to keep going, then added that nobody had started a writers room yet.
There have been hints that the people at Apple are thinking about it. Apple TV programming chief Matt Cherniss has suggested Sudeikis is already thinking beyond the fourth season. But a hint is not an order, and Apple has not announced a renewal, a premiere window, or any casting for a fifth season.
Waddingham herself joked about the uncertainty in a separate interview this week, saying the cast would all probably do another season even if they did not get paid, then adding, “Don’t tell them that!” It was a joke, but it showed where the cast stands. They want to come back. The decision now sits with Sudeikis and Apple.
What Season 5 Could Look Like
If Ted Lasso does return, season 4 left plenty of threads to pick up. The women’s team is the biggest one. Ted spent the season building the side around Alice Chilton, and the finale handed the team to her. A fifth season could follow the women’s team as it pushes for promotion, with Ted stepping back into an assistant role, and it would give him a new reason to stay in London after finding fresh purpose with the side.
Rebecca’s story has a clear next chapter too. She now holds majority control of AFC Richmond after Mae left her the shares, and she has just proposed to her boyfriend. A new season could show her running the club on her own terms.
Roy’s move to Chelsea is the most dramatic open thread. He has taken the head coach job at a rival club, which would put him on the opposite touchline from Ted for the first time. That is a story the writers could build a whole season around.
None of this is planned in public yet. But the pieces are on the board, and that is part of why the Ted Lasso season 5 question keeps trending. Fans can see the stories waiting to be told, and they want to know if anyone will tell them.
Waddingham’s Awards Push and What Comes Next
While the future of the show is undecided, Waddingham’s own career is moving fast. For season 4, she has been moved up to the Lead Actress category for awards season, after three nominations as Supporting Actress, including a win in 2021. She also has two Golden Globe nominations and two Screen Actors Guild nominations to her name. The move to Lead Actress fits the season, in which Rebecca carried more of the story than ever before.
The streaming world is full of shows waiting for renewal news. Netflix has been making its own big moves, and you can read our report on how Netflix ordered a Stranger Things prequel set in 1955. Casting news is driving searches too, including the race for the next James Bond, where you can read our report on Robert Pattinson and Nicholas Hoult screen testing for James Bond.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ted Lasso season 5 confirmed?
No. Apple has not announced a renewal for Ted Lasso season 5. Hannah Waddingham said she does not know if the show will return, and Brendan Hunt and Jason Sudeikis have both said they have heard nothing official. Reports about a writers room and filming dates are unconfirmed.
When did Ted Lasso season 4 end?
Season 4 ended on October 7, 2026, with the finale “Being Alive.” The season premiered on August 5, 2026, and ran for ten weekly episodes on Apple TV. It followed Ted as he coached AFC Richmond’s new women’s team after a three year time jump.
What did Hannah Waddingham say about season 5?
Speaking to Us Weekly at the Women In Film Honors on November 5, 2026, Waddingham said “I don’t know” when asked about a fifth season. She added that she would return as Rebecca Welton as long as the writers keep writing magnificent material, saying they have her in their pocket.
Who else has spoken about Ted Lasso season 5?
Brendan Hunt told Deadline on finale day that he hopes it happens and is optimistic, but has heard nothing official. Jason Sudeikis said on a podcast in October that he would like to continue, but no writers room had started. Apple TV programming chief Matt Cherniss has hinted Sudeikis is thinking beyond season 4, but Apple has made no announcement.
Sources
- FemaleFirst: Hannah Waddingham does not know about Ted Lasso’s future
- Comic Basics: Hannah Waddingham has no idea whether Ted Lasso is coming back again
- FanBolt: Will there be a Ted Lasso season 5? Renewal status explained
- Deadline via EuropeSays: Ted Lasso’s Hannah Waddingham to campaign as Lead Actress
Final Thoughts
The Ted Lasso season 5 question has no answer yet, and Hannah Waddingham was honest enough to say so. That honesty is better than a rumour, and it is better than silence. She does not know if the show will come back, but she knows what would bring her back: good writing, and a story still worth telling.
Season 4 gave the show a fitting ending, with Rebecca in control of the club, Roy off to Chelsea, and Ted handing the women’s team to its next leader. If that is where it ends, it ends well. But the cast clearly wants more, the stories are there to be told, and the audience is still searching for news. Until Apple or Sudeikis says otherwise, the future of Ted Lasso rests on one decision, and Waddingham has already made hers. If the call comes, she will be there.
