Ted Lasso Season 4 Episode 9 Reveals Richmond’s New Enemy as a Shock Death Hits the Club

Ted Lasso Season 4 Episode 9, titled “Mae Rides the Bus,” delivered the season’s most emotional hour yet when it premiered on Apple TV on September 30, 2026. The episode gave AFC Richmond’s women’s team the promotion they had been chasing, then immediately turned celebration into grief with the sudden death of Mae Green, the beloved Crown & Anchor landlady played by Annette Badland. Alongside the tragedy, the episode also confirmed that Zelda Southport (Tracey Ullman) is the real force trying to take control of the club.

• Episode title: “Mae Rides the Bus”
• Release date: September 30, 2026 on Apple TV
• Where to watch: Apple TV (global — USA, UK, Canada, Australia, India, and worldwide)
• Season format: 10 episodes, weekly through October 7, 2026
• New episodes drop: Every Wednesday
• Key cast: Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt, Jeremy Swift, Annette Badland, Tracey Ullman, Tanya Reynolds

Lady Greyhounds Earn Promotion to the Women’s Super League

AFC Richmond’s women’s team secured promotion to the Women’s Super League with a 4-2 win over Bristol City at Ashton Gate. The match began poorly, with Bristol City taking a 2-0 lead. Gemma, returning from injury, scored a penalty but aggravated her knee and was benched for the second half after Alice Chilton noticed a limp.

The turnaround came when Shannon entered the game and scored, followed by goals from Lizzie and another from Shannon that sealed the result. Niamh assisted on one of the goals. Roy Kent watched from Keeley Jones’s house and modeled the match action using her makeup accessories, producing one of the funniest sequences of the season.

Mae Green traveled with the team on the bus to Bristol after Ted Lasso invited her, and she gave an inspiring pre-match speech. She watched from the fan stands and celebrated the victory before collapsing.

Mae Green Dies After Richmond’s Promotion Win

Mae Green, the pub owner who has been part of Ted Lasso since its second episode, died in the stands at Ashton Gate shortly after Richmond’s promotion was confirmed. A stadium worker told Rebecca Welton about “an incident” involving Mae. Rebecca then walked into the locker room and delivered the news to Ted, whose reaction confirmed the loss.

Annette Badland told Deadline that she learned about Mae’s death only about one episode before filming it. “I was shocked, but I’m very proud being in the show,” she said. “The audience know it’s not made cynically. It’s not a product.”

“That’s what happens. You’re involved with folks, and they disappear. They go, and she loved her life. She made the very best of her life and really relished it. So she went, I suppose, for her, in the very best way.”
— Annette Badland, speaking to Deadline

Badland also revealed that Jason Sudeikis modified parts of the finale after they spoke about Mae’s exit. “He did change some of the stuff in 10, or incorporated what we talked about,” she said. “She doesn’t just [go away]. She is still within the context.”

Zelda Southport Confirmed as Richmond’s New Villain

Zelda Southport, played by Tracey Ullman, is the person buying up AFC Richmond shares in an attempt to seize control of the club. During the Bristol match, Zelda received a call from her associate Hugo Riddles, who told her he had located the Milk sisters — the shareholders who hold enough stock to decide ownership of the team.

Rebecca and Leslie Higgins had suspected Rupert Mannion of orchestrating the share purchases, but the episode confirmed Zelda as the true antagonist. Zelda had positioned herself as a supportive investor in women’s football through her firm, which invests exclusively in global women’s sports. Rebecca and Higgins still trust her, meaning the betrayal has not yet been exposed to the characters.

Episode 9 aired as a tribute to Anthony Head, who played Rupert Mannion in Seasons 1 through 3 and died on June 5, 2026. A card reading “In Memory of Anthony Head” ran at the end of the episode.

Keeley Jones Is Pregnant and Tells Roy Kent

Keeley Jones is pregnant. The episode revealed that Keeley had been passing out during matches, and a doctor suspected pregnancy after noting her blood pressure. Keeley took multiple home pregnancy tests and confirmed the news. She shared it with Rebecca over dinner but did not tell Roy Kent until after Richmond’s win.

Roy spent the match at Keeley’s house to keep her company and monitor her blood pressure. When Richmond won, Keeley told him about the pregnancy, and the moment doubled his happiness after the victory. The two had reconciled in Episode 8, making the pregnancy announcement one of the season’s major turning points.

Episode 9 Cast and Where to Watch

Ted Lasso Season 4 Episode 9 features Jason Sudeikis as Ted Lasso, Hannah Waddingham as Rebecca Welton, Juno Temple as Keeley Jones, Brett Goldstein as Roy Kent, Brendan Hunt as Coach Beard, Jeremy Swift as Leslie Higgins, Annette Badland as Mae Green, Tracey Ullman as Zelda Southport, Tanya Reynolds as Alice Chilton, Jude Mack as Boots, Faye Marsay as Lizzie, Abbie Hern as Gemma, and Grant Feely as Henry Lasso.

All episodes of Ted Lasso Season 4 stream exclusively on Apple TV in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, India, and worldwide. New episodes release every Wednesday, with the season finale arriving on October 7, 2026.

Also Read: Ted Lasso Season 4 Episode 7 Recap: Ted Joins a Dating App While Alice Learns to Say Yes and

The penultimate episode left Richmond with a promotion, a pregnancy, a hidden villain, and a hole in the heart of the club that the finale will have to address.