How THAT Shocking Death Can Save The Lady Greyhounds In Ted Lasso Season 4

Published Oct 1, 2026, 12:30 PM EDT

Ben Sherlock is a Tomatometer-approved film and TV critic who runs the massively underrated YouTube channel I Got Touched at the Cinema. Before working at Screen Rant, Ben wrote for Game Rant, Taste of Cinema, Comic Book Resources, and BabbleTop. He's also an indie filmmaker, a standup comedian, and an alumnus of the School of Rock.

If there are three things you can count on in this life, it’s death, taxes, and Ted Lasso making you cry like a baby. The penultimate episode of Ted Lasso’s comeback season, “Mae Rides the Bus,” had all the fuzzy, feel-good warmth we’ve come to expect from this show — until its final moments.

Right up to the end, it was one of the most uplifting episodes of the series to date. Just when the Lady Greyhounds seemed to be down for the count, they turned it all around. Alice inspired Shannon to get out of her head, the goals started rolling in, and the team celebrated their hard-earned victory back in the locker room. And to top it all off, we just found out Keeley is pregnant, so the Ted Lasso family is getting a little bigger.

But then, Rebecca got some bad news. “Jump Around” has struck again; after taking out Roy’s knee, the catchiest song ever recorded came for Mae’s heart. It’s the circle of life: Keeley and Roy are bringing a new life into the world, and Mae has passed on.

Mae has always been a standout supporting player, but she’s become one of Ted Lasso’s best characters in season 4. Seeing how much it means to her to see women playing on the grounds of her favorite team has been really inspiring. When the money and the press and the patriarchy were all working against them, Mae’s unwavering support kept the women’s team going.

Matt Lipsey directed the moment beautifully. The soundtrack fell silent as Ted hung his head in mourning, and in that dead silence, a heartfelt tribute to late cast member Anthony Head emblazoned the screen. You’d have to have a heart made of stone not to be devastated by Mae’s loss — but it could have an unexpected bright side.

Throughout Ted Lasso’s fourth season, Rebecca has formed an uneasy friendship with an eccentric billionaire named Zelda Southport, played spectacularly by Tracey Ullman. There’s always been something a bit off about Zelda — not the least of which being her friendship with Nigel Farage — and, in this most recent episode, our suspicions have been confirmed.

At the same time Zelda has been getting close to Rebecca, a mysterious buyer has been hoarding Richmond shares, seemingly in a bid to seize control of the team from Rebecca. Higgins has been looking into it, and he’s been drawn into a far-reaching All the President’s Men-style conspiracy. Rebecca and Higgins naturally suspected Rupert, since Rebecca took the team from him, so it stands to reason he’d want to take it back. But in “Mae Rides the Bus,” we learned that it wasn’t Rupert buying up the shares; it was Zelda.

This revealed Zelda as the big bad, presumably setting up the conflict for the finale. If I was a betting man, I’d guess that Ted Lasso’s season 4 finale will see Zelda seizing the team from Rebecca and implementing a bunch of wild changes while Rebecca and Higgins scramble to regain control — and I think Mae could posthumously save the team.

Mae had a substantial number of Richmond shares, and they’ll be up for grabs now that she’s passed away. It all depends on her last will and testament. If her will stipulates that her shares be returned to Rebecca upon her death, then it could save her from Zelda’s buyout. It’s more likely that Mae left her shares to the three diehard Richmond fans who all but live at her pub, in which case those guys will become the team’s unlikely saviors.

However it shakes out, I’ve been absolutely loving this season of Ted Lasso. We’re surely in for a heck of a finale next week.

Ted Lasso

8/10