Ted Lasso

Summary

Pop Culture Happy Hour – “Ted Lasso” (August 11, 2026)

Podcast: Pop Culture Happy Hour (NPR)
Hosts: Linda Holmes, Stephen Thompson
Guest: Gene Demby
Topic: Ted Lasso, Season 4

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Episode Overview

In this episode, the Pop Culture Happy Hour team dives into the fourth season of Apple TV’s Ted Lasso. The conversation explores Ted Lasso’s surprising new circumstances, the creative direction of the series following key showrunner shifts, and the ambitious decision to pivot the series around a women's soccer team. The hosts discuss the show’s tricky balance between warmth and cloyingness, how it reflects post-pandemic trends, and the challenges of maintaining its original magic.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

Ted Lasso’s Radical Reset: New Season, New Team

• Ted’s Situation: The new season opens with Ted working as an assistant supermarket manager in Kansas City, which the hosts find implausible given his previous success in England as a Premier League coach.
  • “How does class work in Hollywood? Like, this dude was a former Premier League coach. He's rich...I can't figure out why he's in this particular social location given, you know, his life to that point.” — Gene Demby (00:21, 04:01)
• Premise Shift: Ted is lured back to the UK to coach a new women’s team at the request of team owner Rebecca, while the men’s team is now overseen by Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein). Most of the player roster is new, as is the focus of the series. (01:01–02:17)

The Show’s Tone: Warmth, Niceness, and Possible Over-Clinging

• The original draw of Ted Lasso—its “warm, nice” tone—was a balm during the pandemic but may no longer resonate as strongly in 2026’s pop culture landscape.
  • “Entertainment that was really popular during the pandemic isn’t necessarily hitting the same way in 2026.” — Stephen Thompson (02:17)
• Both Stephen and Gene feel the show’s tone has drifted too far into “cloying” territory, with everything working out a little too smoothly.
  • “Ted Lasso...had already sort of like went too far in the direction of cloying...And I still feel like it's very much situated there now.” — Gene Demby (04:01)

Creative Changes: Bill Lawrence’s Departure and Its Impact

• Linda notes that Bill Lawrence, co-creator and showrunner, left the series following creative differences with Jason Sudeikis. Lawrence’s absence is felt in the show’s shift toward “Ted’s internal drama” over broader ensemble storytelling.
  • “The magic touch of Ted Lasso for me...was the Bill Lawrence piece, which was a little, for me, emotional, richer and a little more poignant.” — Linda Holmes (05:44)
• This creative change leads Linda to question whether the focus on Ted is still justified, especially after shifting to a women's team setting.

The Gendered Reboot: Centering a Women’s Team

• The hosts are unsure if centering the story on a women’s team is more than just a way to shake up the formula. The focus still heavily orbits Ted rather than fully exploring the new team or the unique dynamics of women’s sports.
  • “It remains a show that is orbiting around Ted...Do they have something they want to say about Ted and this women's team? I think you'll find...they’re aware of kind of the general dynamics of women's sports...But, like, is there a reason why they want Ted to work with a women's team? And I’m not sure that I'm seeing that quite yet.” — Linda Holmes (05:44–08:36)
• Both Gene and Stephen highlight the awkwardness of sidelining a qualified female coach (Alice Chilton) so that Ted can step in. The show tentatively acknowledges this issue but doesn’t fully resolve it.
  • “It almost felt like lampshading...they almost had to, like, acknowledge that...they were going with a different candidate [over the woman]...But it was actually like, this is actually a problem. This is actually a giant problem.” — Gene Demby (10:42)

Longevity and Narrative Bloat

• The hosts agree that the first episode of the new season feels especially weak—“overlong” and stuffed with B-plots and fan service. Episodes are now 40-50 minutes, losing the tightness of earlier seasons.
  • “I found that first episode to be overlong...I think these episodes...could stand to be tighter. Not all of these B plots are working for me.” — Stephen Thompson (02:17)
  • “It is definitely less joke dense than it has before.” — Linda Holmes (18:12)

New and Legacy Characters: Who Gets the Spotlight?

• While the return of familiar characters (Ted, Coach Beard, Rebecca, Keely, Roy) is enjoyable, new team members aren’t developed enough to be compelling.
  • “We get, like, some, like, really top line notes on some of the women on the team...I want to know who these people are.” — Gene Demby (20:49)
• Relationship plots such as Roy and Keely’s “will they/won’t they” dynamic and B-plots for side characters like Higgins are less engaging, according to several hosts. (17:42–21:43)

The Issue of Ted as the Center

• The show keeps rebooting to focus on Ted’s unifying power, risking retreading old narrative ground.
  • “You’re retelling the story of people should not think that he shouldn’t have this job just because it seems like maybe he shouldn’t have this job.” — Linda Holmes (12:42)
• There's a missed opportunity to explore other core characters or team dynamics more deeply. Both Linda and Gene express a desire for “more brains in the game,” both narratively and within the team itself.
  • “I want lots of brains in the game, you know what I mean?” — Linda Holmes (20:00)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Ted’s Plausibility:
  “How does class work in Hollywood?...I can't figure out why he's in this particular social location given, you know, his life to that point.”
  — Gene Demby (00:21, 04:01)

• On the Show’s Tone Shift:
  “Ted Lasso...had already sort of like went too far in the direction of cloying. And I still feel like it's very much situated there now.”
  — Gene Demby (04:01)

• On the Bill Lawrence Factor:
  “The magic touch...for me was the Bill Lawrence piece, which was a little, for me, emotional, richer and a little more poignant.”
  — Linda Holmes (05:44)

• On Women’s Team Reboot:
  “It remains a show that is orbiting around Ted...do they have something they want to say about Ted and this women's team? And I'm not sure that I'm seeing that quite yet.”
  — Linda Holmes (05:44–08:36)

• On Sidestepping Female Coaches:
  “They basically said to this woman who was already in the role that...they were going with a different candidate. And at some point it's like, haha. But it was actually like, this is actually a problem.”
  — Gene Demby (10:42)

• On Episode Structure:
  “It is definitely less joke [dense] than it has before...they gradually stretched it out from more similar to a half hour to more similar to an hour while making it less funny.”
  — Linda Holmes (18:12)

• On the Show’s Best Moments:
  “My favorite moment in Original Recipe Ted Lasso was when they wound up having the big Christmas dinner that all the team was there for, and they were bonding...And Ted wasn't there. Ted was off with Rebecca...it's not just that he is a charismatic, you know, cult leader or whatever. It's that they've learned something from the methods that he's used...and now they can do it themselves.”
  — Linda Holmes (21:46)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Ted Lasso’s New Life & Class Issues: 00:21–01:01, 04:01
• Season 4 Setup & Impressions: 01:01–02:17
• Pandemic Popularity vs. 2026 Appeal: 02:17–03:44
• Cloying vs. Comfort Debate: 03:44–05:44
• Bill Lawrence’s Exit and Narrative Impact: 05:44–08:36
• Switching to a Women’s Team—Purpose and Pitfalls: 05:44–10:21
• The Feminism Dilemma & Hiring Ted: 10:20–12:42
• Problematic Centering of Ted: 12:42–14:38
• Extended Episode Length & Fan Service: 18:12–18:56
• Insufficient Player Focus: 20:49–21:38
• Favorite Moments & Hopes for the Season: 21:46–End

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Closing Thoughts

The hosts are united in their affection for the Ted Lasso characters and for the sense of community the show can evoke. However, they’re deeply ambivalent about the necessity and execution of this new season. There’s a sharp longing for the tighter, ensemble-led storytelling of earlier seasons, and skepticism remains about whether this rebooted format—focused again on Ted at the expense of new characters—can sustain audience interest or justify itself narratively. The hosts remain cautiously optimistic, holding out hope that later episodes will pull the threads together.

Summary by Pop Culture Happy Hour, August 11, 2026

Transcript

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[Gene Demby]

Ted is an assistant manager in a supermarket. And it's not actually clear, like, this is like a pet peeve of mine. Like, how does class work in Hollywood? Like, this dude was a former Premier League coach, he's rich, he's living his life. That suggests that there might be something going on. Like he's like, chosen his life. Almost like kind of weird asceticism, too much sports, gambling. Absolutely. I can't figure out why he's in this particular social location given, you know, his life to that point.

[Linda Holmes]

Whatever happened to Ted Lasso? When we last saw the man, he had left in England and returned to Kansas City. When we last saw the show, it had finished up a season that was maybe, but not definitely its last.

[Stephen Thompson]

The show is back on Apple TV and Ted is back in the uk, Only now he's coaching a brand new women's team. I'm Stephen Thompson.

[Linda Holmes]

And I'm Linda Holmes. And joining us today on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour is one of the hosts of NPR's Code Switch podcast, Gene Demby. Hello, Gene. Welcome back.

[Gene Demby]

What's good, friends, y'?

[Sponsor/Announcer]

All?

[Linda Holmes]

Good to see you. Good to see you. So Ted Lasso, played by Jason Sudeikis, found a success coaching men's soccer, AKA football, despite initially knowing nothing about it. He then returned to the US to be closer to his ex wife and son. Skip forward a couple years now. Team owner Rebecca, played by Hannah Waddingham, wants him back not to coach the men who are being coached by Brett Goldstein's Roy Kent, but to coach an entirely new team of women. Some faces return three seasons, including Juno Temple as Keely, but the players are new. As for Ted's family, well, if he wants to take Rebecca up on her offer to go back to the uk, which you know he will, he'll have to figure that part out. So, Stephen, I'm going to start with you. What did you think about the beginning? We have seen the first four. What did you think about the beginning of the fourth season of Ted Lasso?

[Stephen Thompson]

Well. Well, I think the first episode of this fourth season, the one that is largely set in Kansas City, I think is pretty wobbly. I think you're kind of taking characters that we know you know from this other setting, kind of planting them in this new setting. And I think it really takes a while for this new season to find its footing. I found that first episode to be overlong. I wasn't necessarily buying all the kind of bits and subplots that are kind of leading us to this inevitable conclusion. But I think as the season rol along without spoiling anything, I think it starts to find its footing a little bit. I think these episodes, you know, Ted Lassa was experiencing some episode bloat in later seasons. These episodes are running more in the like 40 to 50 minute range. And I think it could stand to be tighter. Not all of these B plots are working for me. And I think overall with this show on one hand, I'm really happy to revisit these characters. I'm happy to hang out with these characters again. But I'm not sure that what initially drew to Ted Lasso is necessarily entirely still present in this show. And I think it suffers a little bit from something that is happening, I think, across the entertainment industry, where entertainment that was really popular during the pandemic isn't necessarily hitting the same way in 2026. And I was really feeling that watching these episodes.

[Linda Holmes]

That's very interesting because Ted Lasso was originally kind of a pandemic discovery for a lot of people. And people went back and forth at the time about it has a warm and kind of like a niceness to it. That was kind of a relief at that point.

[Gene Demby]

Yeah, we were all in the trenches.

[Linda Holmes]

Yeah, exactly. Gene, what'd you think?

[Gene Demby]

I mean, it's funny you talk about the warmth and sort of heart of the show because we just. Linda, we just talked about the Dink, another Apple TV product not too long ago, about sports and how that was very much on the right side of the cloying versus sort of sweet and warm continuum. And I felt like very much that Ted Lasso has, especially in the third season, had already sort of like went too far in the direction of cloying. And I still feel like it's very much situated there now. It was like very, very, like everything works out well in the end. And I think that's fun, right? You know, it's a show about sports, right? Like, it's supposed to be like a feel good show. The thing I don't buy was that first of all, like, we start off this new season, Ted is an assistant manager in a supermarket. And it's not actually clear, like this is like a pet peeve of mine, like, how does class work in Hollywood, like, this dude was a former Premier league coach. He's rich, he's living his life. That suggests that there might be something going. Like he's like, chosen his life. Almost like kind of weird asceticism. Like, why is he sports gambling? Absolutely. Like, I can't figure out why he's in this particular social location given, you know, his life to that point. And even as we know, as Linda sort of said, we know he's gonna end up going back across the pond and like, you know, charming everybody and winning everybody over. But it wasn't even the sort of like momentum to get him back there. Didn't make sense. Cause it was like, that's obviously a better. Your life would be so much better if you were living that life. What is keeping you tethered the Kansas City in the way that he's like, I don't know, there's so much to give up. And his family is like, dog, let's go. And he's like, oh, I don't. I don't know. So it's just very hard to like. Again, just like Steven. I dig all these characters a lot. And I was, you know, sad to see the show go away and I'm glad that it's back. But I'm also kind of like, is there still story to tell about these people? Like these characters in particular, you know?

[Linda Holmes]

Yeah. You know, the funny thing is, one of the original co creators of Ted Lasso was Bill Lawrence, who also worked on Scrubs and works, I think particularly relevant to this works on shrinking and Bill Lawrence. There was some recent reporting in the Hollywood Reporter. Bill Lawrence and Jason Sudeikis had some creative differences about, I think, what to do with the show. Bill Lawrence ended up leaving the show. So he's not, I do not think was involved in this season at all. Has gone off to do shrinking. When I talk to people, I tend to discover there are your really dig Bill Lawrence stuff people and your really do not dig Bill Lawrence stuff people. And very often that applies to shrinking. It applies to Ted Lasso. It applies to Rooster, which is this newer show that Steve Carell was in where he played a writer who was teaching at a college. And I think for me, I am very much a Bill Horns person. I'm very much a shrinking person, which people who know me know well. I feel a little bit like the magic touch of Ted Lasso for me, not for everyone, not definitively, but for me was the Bill Lawrence piece, which was a little, for me, emotional, richer and a little more poignant. Whereas I feel like Jason Sudeikis, in leading the show, has trended a little bit more toward stories about Ted's kind of internal, like, his marriage and a bunch of stuff like that that I'm not as invested in. So I had trouble with that. I also have a little bit of trouble understanding what they thought it was gonna do to center this around a women's team, because it remains a. Is still really, you know, obviously orbiting around Ted. It's not that Rebecca and Keely are not great characters, but it is still a show that is orbiting around Ted. And I question why. Like, what was this supposed to do other than just, like, be different? Like, be that story's over and a new story is starting and isn't that exciting? Do they have something they want to say about Ted and this women's team? I think you'll find over the course of this season, without spoiling it, you know, they're aware of kind of the general dynamics of women's sports, the economics, the disadvantages, the differences in media exposure, stuff like that. But, like, is there a reason why they want Ted to work with a women's team? And I'm not sure that I'm seeing that quite yet. And the trade off for that is that all of the players who I had gotten to really love, and I have no idea what the situation was with the actors who wanted to come back. If anybody didn't want to come back. I don't know what the specifics are on the business side are all gone now.

[Stephen Thompson]

Right.

[Linda Holmes]

And because it's a new team, so you don't get those players, I wouldn't be surprised to see some of them pop up, but they're not really part of the show other than Roy, who is around. But I'm just not sure why. Like, why are we doing this?

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah, I mean, it feels like they were given an opportunity to reboot and they weren't to kind of take the show in the same direction and a different direction at the same time. It's certainly, I'm sure, as with kind of the direction that the show took in season three. I'm sure some of it is dictated by the interests of Jason Sudeikis. You know, that Jason Sudeikis seems to be kind of at the helm of this show. Jason Sudeikis famously very into women's sports very much. You know, somebody who turns up in the stands at a lot of major women's sporting events. And so I'm sure he's interested in women's soccer. And I Think they're certainly hinting at some interesting player dynamics that's gonna take more time to unfold. And we're getting so many B plots about familiar characters that I think some of these new characters, at least in the first four episodes, feel a little underbaked. I do think there's promise in some of those characters, and I think there's some promise in the dynamic between not only Ted Lasso himself, but also Coach Beard, played by Brendan Hunt, is back on this season, and they're working with a coach named Alice Chilton, played by Tanya Reynold. Her coaching style is clashing with theirs in kind of potentially interesting ways. I think she's an interesting performer and I think there's promise there. But they're still spending an awful lot of time really leaning into these B plots with Rebecca and Keeley that I don't think are really cohering.

[Gene Demby]

Yeah, man.

[Stephen Thompson]

The way that I think the show wants them to. There is, again, without spoiling anything, there's this whole long thing with, like, Rebecca having this crisis of, like, am I a feminist because of my hesitation in hiring a woman to coach this women's team? But it just feels like it doesn't know what it wants to say.

[Gene Demby]

And you could feel like that whole, like, am I a feminist because I hired this white dude to coach this women's team almost felt like lampshading. It was like they almost had to, like, acknowledge that, like, that was the obvious.

[Linda Holmes]

Like, that's exactly how it felt to me.

[Gene Demby]

It was like, okay, they gotta acknowledge that they basically said to this woman who was already in the role that, like, they were going with a different candidate.

[Sponsor/Announcer]

Yeah.

[Gene Demby]

And at some point it's like. It's funny. It was like, haha. But it was actually like, this is actually a problem. This is actually a giant problem. There's a much more qualified and capable and competent person right there. And Ted Lasso was there for Vobs and like, we're supposed to be okay with that. That's like a. Even in those very solid first two seasons, that was like, I think. I think stuck in a lot of people's crawl. Right. Like, a lot of people were bothered by that. And this is like, even more pronounced now. It's like, she was already in the job and they just sort of just swept her aside for this dude who was. Clearly, he learned something where he got super high and learned about and, like, understood, like, total football towards the end of third season. But, like, so maybe he still has some of that sort of tactical, you know, what I mean, acumen, but, like, it's like, why is this dude in his job? He's just. Yeah, I mean, you know, like, that's beneficial. He's good a sports psychologist. You know what I'm saying? Like, you don't need him to do the. Yeah. Anyway.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah, I mean, this has been an issue. Certainly the coaching angle has been an issue with this show from the very core concept, which is like, this guy is incredible with people, and. And, you know, sports are played by people, and he understands people, and that, in many ways makes him a very effective motivator. But there's a huge difference between being a good motivator and being a competent coach or even understanding the rules of the sport that you are coaching. And certainly, like, kind of rebooting it with a women's team kind of sidelining a qualified coach in order to bring him into this role does kind of bring up kind of those same core issues. And of course, obviously, for the show and in general, the answer is you have a combination of people, you have a combination of skill sets, and hopefully they work kind of in concert with each other. But, yeah, it certainly is not doing anything to address that core issue that goes all the way back to the very first episode of this series.

[Linda Holmes]

Right, Right. And I think the trick is that for a lot of people, as you're saying, one of the things they could never get over in this show was that it was all about sort of everybody learning how great this guy is and that they shouldn't doubt him just because he doesn't know what he's doing. It's like, I was able to get past that because it was so surrounded by other things that I really enjoyed. Right. And it also had the scaffolding of. Rebecca was bringing him into this job because she thought he would fail. And so there was a little bit of, you know, on the one hand, like, well, yes, the reason he got this job is because she knows he's unqualified. That's why she hired him. Now you've gone back to the beginning. You're retelling the story of people should not think that he shouldn't have this job just because it seems like maybe he shouldn't have this job. And it's clear when you see this that this women's league is facing some very particular challenges. The players have some challenges because the. You know, it's interesting watching this, right. At the same time that the women's professional baseball league is kicking off, and you see how, like, it's smaller the stadiums are smaller. The crowds are small. There's only a few teams. It's like this team is still trying to get on its feet, this soccer team. And the idea that, like, this guy is what they really need is just, I think it's gonna wear on people. With that said, I agree with both of you. Like, it's fun to see these characters again, at least some of the time. I don't love everything they're doing, but I have been a coach beard girly for a really long time. I love that character. I love that performance.

[Stephen Thompson]

And they're clearly building to something interesting this season with that guy.

[Linda Holmes]

Yeah. And I'm really, you know, he's just such a weird character in a way that I very much value. I like Hannah Waddingham. I don't necessarily love what they're doing with Rebecca at the moment in the first part of the season, but I do love her. And I can always watch Brett Goldstein do basically anything, even that romantic comedy with Jennifer Lopez. We've got a lot more to talk about. We'll be right back after this break.

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[Linda Holmes]

welcome back, Gene. I wanted to pick up with you. What are you thinking about the way

[Gene Demby]

the third season ended? I was actually kind of hopeful that there was gonna be like a. Okay, this is the story the greyhounds post, Ted. Right. Like, there's a world in which you had Nate and Coach Beard and Roy Kang.

[Stephen Thompson]

I did think that's where they were gonna go.

[Gene Demby]

And it felt like it would have been a really interesting. You know what I'm saying? Like, continuation of the story. And it doesn't have to be. He doesn't have to be the sort of, like, the thing around which everything revolves.

[Linda Holmes]

Have you really taught them anything or do you still have to be there and do it yourself?

[Gene Demby]

And now it's like, oh, well, it almost feels like everything else had been frozen in time except for him, who, you know, and it's like, man, he doesn't seem integral to all the stuff that he's being inserted in. We're back into like a will they, won't they thing with Keely, with Roy and Keely. And it's like, again, I like both those characters. It's like, oh, we did a search. You know what I mean? I love Hannah. I love Hannah Waterham. And it's like, wow. I was like, I never thought. I'm bored watching Hannah Waterham. What's going on with the show? And I just. I feel like a lot of ways, it feels like less joke dense. It is definitely than it has before.

[Linda Holmes]

It is definitely less joke.

[Gene Demby]

There's like, way fewer jokes.

[Linda Holmes]

While simult, as Steven mentioned, the episodes are longer.

[Gene Demby]

Yes, exactly. So there's like more.

[Linda Holmes]

They gradually stretched it out from more similar to a half hour to more similar to an hour while making it less funny.

[Gene Demby]

It's fine. Like, I mean, you know, there are so many callbacks to the first show. The stuff that, like, jokes that land on the first show was like, there was that famous joke. It's like Wendy's trying to figure out the geography of the uk. He's like, how many countries are in this country. And like, there's a joke, literally when they. Kansas City. It's like, how many cities in the city? It's like, oh, the same. It's like, haha. Get it. It's like all this, like, it's just. It feels like the first episode in particular feels like fan service, like just, you know, just all fanservice, like, but

[Linda Holmes]

it's like, well, it's a love letter to Kansas City. And I think if you love Kansas City, it's a really fun episode.

[Gene Demby]

And let's be honest, no shit outside of producer Mike Cold and Brutal and Patrick Mahomes, who really. You know what I mean?

[Stephen Thompson]

I mean, honestly, like, I think I come down slightly on the other side of the, like, skippable debate. Like, as much as I can identify many flaws in these first four episodes, I still did find myself kind of mashing that play button. Once I got through the episode, I still basically considered it a fun hang. I think lowering expectations and kind of like allowing the stakes of each episode to feel a little bit lower, I think maybe benefits this show if people aren't necessarily, like, clamoring for every new episode. I am enjoying it. I just. I think it is. If you're wanting to compare this season to previous seasons, I think it is closer to the kind of shapeless, intermittently enjoyable third season than those kind of more transcendent early episodes.

[Gene Demby]

Absolutely.

[Linda Holmes]

I think that's right. I think that's right. And for me, I think much of how I feel about the rest of this season is going to depend on how much they can ensure that neither the show nor the team feels like a Jason Sudeikis Ted Lasso personalist regime. You know, I think, oh, my God. I think the more you get that collaboration from everybody, both in the team and on the show, I think the better it's gonna be. And I am optimistic that they are gonna turn a corner. And by the end of the season, I'm gonna be like, yes, I understand where they were going with this. They pulled it all together. You know, ultimately it made sense to me, all that kind of stuff. I want lots of brains in the game. You know what I mean?

[Gene Demby]

Absolutely. This is like, to the point you just made. One of the things I always feel in shows about sports teams is that they have all these characters on the team. Right. And you never get to spend enough time with the players. Like, obviously you have exceptions like Friday Night Lights. Right. The series. Right. But I felt like even in the earlier seasons, the original recipe Ted Lasso, it was like, we got to see Danny, right? We got to see Roy. We got to know Jamie, Sam. But I always wanted to know more about the locker room dynamics. Sam, right? We spent a lot of time with Sam. Always want to know more about the locker room dynamics. Like, that is so much of what's so fun about sports and, like, you know, these very different personalities sort of like congealing around this goal. Like, we get, like, some, like, really top line notes on some of the women on the team. Like, one of them is a mom. One of them is really talented, but she was, like, you know, hard done by, you know, and it's just like, I want to know who these people are.

[Stephen Thompson]

I think that's a lot more important than finding stuff for Higgins to do.

[Linda Holmes]

I love him, though. I love him.

[Gene Demby]

I do, too.

[Linda Holmes]

I love him. But I guess my closing thought is my favorite moment in Original Recipe Ted Lasso was when they wound up having the big Christmas dinner that all the team was there for, and they were bonding, and it was, I think, at Higgins house, and they were passing the food around, and they were having a great time, and people had brought what they wanted to eat, and some of it was, you know, whatever. It's what I'm used to eating at home, blah, blah, blah. And it was really warm and really great. And Ted wasn't there. Ted was off with Rebecca. And I think what that episode did for me was it demonstrated, as we talked about, it's not just that he is a charismatic, you know, cult leader or whatever. It's that they've learned something from the methods that he's used and the things that he's taught them, and now they can do it themselves.

[Gene Demby]

They can do it themselves. Exactly.

[Linda Holmes]

And that's why, in a way, I also would have found that more interesting. But now we have him teaching the Te Lassa way to a bunch of really talented women. And listen, it's gonna go how it's gonna go, right? And we'll see how it goes. We'll see how it goes. I'm gonna keep watching, and hopefully by the end, it will all work out well. That brings us to the end of our show. Gene Demby, Steven Thompson, thank you so much for being here, you guys.

[Stephen Thompson]

Thank you.

[Gene Demby]

Appreciate y'. All.

[Linda Holmes]

This episode is produced by Lennon Sherburne, Liz Metzger, and Mike Katsiff, and edited by our showrunner, Jessica Reedy. Hello. Come in. Provides our theme music. Thanks for listening to Pop Culture Happy Hour from npr. I'm Linda Holmes, and we'll see you all next time

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