The ninth episode of Ted Lasso's fourth season, titled «Mae Rides the Bus,» arrives Tuesday on Apple TV, with the Lady Greyhounds struggling through a difficult stretch and the show's longtime pub matriarch taking a more prominent role.
The episode lands as Season 4 nears its conclusion, and the latest installment finds team morale at a low point. The title suggests Mae, the owner of the Crown and Anchor pub played by Annette Badland, will spend time with the women's squad — a pairing that places one of the show's most grounded characters alongside the players at a moment when they need steadying.
The episode also pays tribute to Anthony Head, the British actor who played Rupert Mannion, the scheming former owner of AFC Richmond and ex-husband of Rebecca Welton. Head died earlier this year, and the episode carries a tribute card in his memory. Head's Rupert has been a central antagonist across the series, and his absence reshapes the show's final stretch.
Season 4 has drawn attention for how it handles the passage of time and the evolution of its characters. The Lady Greyhounds, the women's team introduced this season, have become a focal point, and the show's recent episodes have tracked their adjustment to the pressures of competition. Episode 8, «Follow the Anger,» was noted for the series beginning to find its footing again as the season approaches its end.
Apple TV releases new Ted Lasso episodes on a weekly schedule, with the season building toward a finale that will close out this chapter of the Richmond story. The remaining Season 4 schedule places Episode 9 as the penultimate or near-final installment, depending on the season's total episode count.
For viewers in the United States, the episode becomes available at the streamer's standard release time, which typically falls in the evening Eastern time. Fans following the «Mae Ted Lasso» search trend are looking for both the release timing and what the episode's title implies about Mae's expanded role.
Mae has been a fixture of Ted Lasso since the first season, running the pub where Ted, Beard, and the Richmond faithful gather. Her blunt warmth and willingness to call out the show's characters have made her a fan favorite. Pairing her with the Lady Greyhounds in an episode title signals a story that leans on the show's established emotional register — community, resilience, and the small rituals that hold a team together.
The tribute to Anthony Head adds a somber note to the episode. Head, known to audiences well beyond Ted Lasso for his work in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and other British television, brought a polished menace to Rupert. The tribute card acknowledges his contribution to the series as it moves through its final episodes.
With morale low and the season winding down, «Mae Rides the Bus» is positioned as a turning point. Whether the Lady Greyhounds can regroup, and how the show handles Rupert's absence, are the questions carrying viewers into the final stretch of Season 4.