Minor spoilers for Season 4 of Ted Lasso are ahead! You can stream it with an Apple TV subscription and catch new episodes on Wednesdays. When Ted Lasso returned to the 2026 TV schedule, the men’s team did not come back with it, but Roy Kent, the men’s head coach, did. Since I am a massive fan of Brett Goldstein and his gruff but lovable character, I was thrilled about this at first. However, I’ve quickly realized that I don’t love where his story is going, and it’s got me wondering: Why is Roy Kent still on this great Apple TV show?Before You Yell At Me, I’m Mad About This Take, Because I Adore Roy KentLet me make one thing very clear: I love Roy Kent. In fact, this story was inspired by my love for him and Brett Goldstein’s Emmy-winning performance. For the first three seasons of Ted Lasso, I adored seeing the grumbly guy grow as a player and a coach. And I was here for his romance with Keeley, his sweet relationship with his nice Phoebe, and his bromance with Jamie Tartt. By the end of Season 3, I was thrilled that he’d been promoted to head coach of Richmond’s men’s team. Then, once the show was confirmed for Season 4, I was looking forward to seeing how his story progressed, seeing as the first three seasons gave him such a wonderful arc that involved personal and professional growth. However, now I’ve seen part of it, and I’m not so sure it was necessary. If The Men’s Team Isn’t In Ted Lasso, Why Is Roy There?Very early on, we learned that the men’s team from Ted Lasso wouldn’t be back. It became clear Phil Dunster wouldn’t return as Jamie, and we had to come to terms with not seeing characters like Danny and Sam. However, we did know that Brett Goldstein, who is also a writer and executive producer on the show, would be back as Roy Kent. Now, to an extent, I get this. He runs the other team in the building; he’s there all the time, of course, Ted and co. would run into him every once in a while. However, without the men’s team there, I don’t see a compelling reason for Roy to be in the show all the time. His work focuses fully on what the guys are doing, and that’s just not part of this season’s story. So, in short, I think it actually would have been more effective to make Goldstein a guest star instead of a regular, so the focus could really shift to the women’s team. I Don’t Want Roy’s Story To Focus Mostly On His Relationship With KeeleyIn Episode 2, which is the first episode we see Roy in, he has lots of scenes that have to do with the advancement of the women’s team and Beard going over to join Ted’s coaching staff. However, the majority of his screen time also either involves Keeley or has an undercurrent that highlights their relationship. For example, seeing Roy unboobytrap the visitors’ locker room was funny; however, it also highlighted the tension that’s still there between him and Keeley. While I ship these two, I DO NOT want their romance to be the central point of their stories. It won’t be for Keeley; she’s busy working to help the women’s team. However, with the men’s team essentially out of the picture, this relationship feels like the primary reason Roy Kent is in the show.If he does not have more to do than that, why is he there? That’s a question I hate asking, but it’s one I think we need to ponder. While Ted, Beard, Higgins, Rebecca and Keeley (the other returning characters) play pivotal roles in the new team, Roy does not. He’s coaching the men (which is not relevant to the story), and he’s pining after Keeley. If there’s not more for him to do, I actually think the show could benefit from using him less. The last thing I want is a one-note story that’s shoe-horned in. You can have too much of a good thing. And I fear that’s what we might have here. So, I hope that as Ted Lasso moves through Season 4, it finds a meaningful and soccer-related reason to keep Roy Kent. Otherwise, it might be time to bench him for a bit.