Keeley as Dorothy? Higgins in shorts! ‘Ted Lasso’ fans react to seeing cast in KC
The sneak peek of “Ted Lasso” filming at Gates Bar-B-Q in Kansas City on Sunday whetted fans’ appetites as they scoured the picture for clues of what’s to come in Season 4.
As one of many excited fans on social media gushed on X: “The mustache is back.”
“Man, I was totally against a 4th season and this one picture changed my mind!” one devotee wrote on Reddit, where fans decamped to share their thoughts on the action taking place this week in Kansas City.
Apple TV+ released a photo showing stars Jeremy Swift, Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple and Jason Sudeikis sitting in a corner booth at the midtown Gates.
Brendan Hunt, who plays Coach Beard, is also in Kansas City.
Kansas City fans who know how customers are welcomed at Gates wondered if that thunderous shout would be shown in the show.
“Cannot wait to see these British people jump when a counter person screams “HI MAY I HELP YA!” a fan on Reddit wrote.
The wardrobe was a big point of discussion. Fans liked seeing Sudeikis’ British co-stars wearing Kansas City gear as filming took place Monday on the Country Club Plaza.
Sudeikis was seen in a teal-colored KC Current jacket, while Waddingham wore an iconic Charlie Hustle KC heart T-shirt with the sleeves cut off, one of her style signatures.
She was also photographed wearing a navy blue Kansas City Dot Skyline T-shirt from Charlie Hustle ($38) — sleeves intact. And Temple wore a yellow Ren Soccer Love Tee from Able Made ($125), fashionably knotted at her waist.
In the promo photo, fans giggled at seeing fictional AFC Richmond’s communications director Leslie Higgins, played by Swift, wearing shorts instead of his usual suits. That darn Midwestern heat.
“HIGGINS IN SUMMER CLOTHES.”
“LESLIE IN SHORTS. I’M SCREAMING. I love him, I’m so excited his legs are getting fresh air.”
“Business Casual Higgins.”
“There’s definitely going to be some jokes re — how hot it is in KC and Higgins’ shorts & legs.”
Sudeikis as Lasso also sported shorts — short sleeves, that is.
“Why is Ted dressed like a math teacher?” wondered one fan on Reddit.
“What’s with Ted’s getup? Is he now selling color TVs down at the Sears Roebuck?” another pondered on Reddit.
Fans also noticed that Temple, in costume as P.R. woman Keeley Jones, had her hair tied in ponytails and wore a checkered dress, which together looked vaguely familiar.
One guess.
“Keeley in pigtails dressed up like Dorothy in Kansas,” a Reddit user noted.
“Hard to tell in this image, but in other images Keeley’s outfit has a Dorothy vibe going on and appears to be wearing some ruby red slippers.”
“Keeley preparing for the trip and thinking she’d go a little bit country with her hair,”
Some fans wondered whether filming a scene at Gates meant that Coach Lasso becomes a proprietor of a barbecue joint after he leaves England.
At the end of Season 3, the former fictional Wichita State football coach left British soccer behind to reunite with his young son and estranged wife in Kansas.
A note here: All the local filming locations either confirmed or rumored thus far are on the Missouri side. Cast and crew are expected to be working in Blue Springs and Lee’s Summit over the next couple of days.
But back to the scene at Gates.
“He’s gonna be the manager at the BBQ joint, huh?” one fan wondered.
“Ted loves coaching so I imagine he’s still coaching and possibly owns a BBQ restaurant.”
“Wouldn’t it be the most Ted thing to not use his (likely) millions to buy/open his own BBQ joint, but to just sit on the cash and work for someone else?”
“Man i would love if the next season is just Ted running a bbq joint lmao.”
“KC native here. I hope the entire season is just KC BBQ joints. We need to educate the world, but especially Texas and Memphis.”
Fans wondered how the British characters enjoyed American food.
Before she tucked into her plate of Gates goodness, Waddingham — who plays AFC Richmond owner Rebecca Welton — pushed the long, flowy sleeves of her light pink blouse out of the way.
“Ooooo, so after 3 seasons of Ted being the fish out of water in UK, we get to see some of the British characters being fish out of water in Kansas?” one fan wrote on Reddit.
“Rebecca in a BBQ joint in 6 inch stilettos and a pink dress that probably cost double my monthly salary…the good people of Kansas City are going to be baffled,” wrote another.
This story was originally published July 22, 2025 at 1:44 PM.
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