Ted Lasso Season 4 Premiere Reveals Fate of Missing Fan Favourite Character Jamie Tartt

The fourth season of Ted Lasso premiered yesterday, and fans of the series were greeted with a reveal that confirmed the fate of fan favorite character, Jamie Tartt, who has been played by Phil Dunster in previous seasons.

The new season takes place after the titular character's departure from coaching fictional football team A.F.C Richmond. Ted Lasso, played by Jason Sudeikis, is visited in Kansas City by his Richmond colleagues and asked to return to London to coach a struggling women's football team.

As Ted reflects on the good times he had as A.F.C Richmond's coach, one news headline in his room confirms that Jamie Tartt had left the team in the time between this season and the last.

Gone For Good?

Fans of the TV series noticed the absence of recurring characters from previous seasons such as Jamie in the marketing material. Co-star Brendan Hunt, who plays coach Willis Beard, says Dunster's absence was a result of scheduling conflicts.

'Phil was going to be busy, but also, it would have strained credulity a bit further than we wanted to if all the old team were still on Richmond,' Hunt said.

'If this team is doing so well, then the best players would be gone. They'd be bought by bigger clubs.'

Sudeikis also called his co-stars to tell them they would be written out of the show, a process he called 'very difficult'. 'Because I didn't want them to hear it on the internet,' he said. 'And because I love those guys and we all went through something together.'

In a podcast with Zach Sang, Dunster said that leaving the show felt like 'the end of school when you graduate.' It seems unlikely that Dunster will reprise his role as Jamie Tartt, at least for this season.

A New Team to Play With

Sudeikis, who also serves as one of Ted Lasso's showrunners, had previously stated that Season 3 would be the final one. Hunt shared how his correspondence with Sudeikis affected the Season 4 renewal.

'There would be one sort of baby-step text message of intrigue, like every three months,' Hunt said. 'I never got my hopes up. I really wanted to do it, but I wanted him to want to do it. I didn't want to be among the people who were pushing him or pressuring him. So I never brought it up.'

'Anytime he brought it up, I'd be like, 'Sounds good,' and then wait and see if it ever came up again. When, finally, I got the word of, 'It's happening, we're going to do that women's team thing that I've been thinking about,' it was like 'Great! Now I can get on with my life! Let's go!''

Along with Sudeikis, Hunt, and returning actors, Tanya Reynolds joins the cast as the assistant coach for the women's football team, who would be reporting under Ted this season. While most of A.F.C Richmond have departed from the narrative, Ted Lasso will have a new team to coach and a new creative direction for this season.