Editor’s note: The below contains minor spoilers for the Ted Lasso Season 4 premiere.
One of the most popular shows of all time is officially back on Apple TV. Ted Lasso appeared to wrap up its run for good in 2023 with what was billed as the third and seemingly final season. However, given the show’s enduring popularity, Apple TV has now brought back the Emmy-winning series for another go. Season 4 premiered last week, reuniting many of our favorite characters and reintroducing the show’s signature charm — but a surprising movie reference in the premiere might leave some fans scratching their heads.
‘Ted Lasso’s Season 4 Return Includes a Fun Quentin Tarantino Easter Egg
When Episode 1 begins, Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) is back in his hometown of Kansas City three years after leaving England. He’s devoted his life to spending time with his son and being the best dad he can be while working as an assistant manager at a grocery store. Ted might not be totally in his element like he was as a soccer coach, but he’s doing the best he can. While Ted is scanning grocery items for a customer in the checkout line, eagle-eyed fans might notice one product in particular that has actually earned a spot in pop culture lore.
Red Apple is a fictional cigarette brand created by the legendary filmmaker Quentin Tarantino, which first appeared in 1994’s seminal classic, Pulp Fiction, when Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis) orders a pack at a bar. Other characters, including Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) and Ringo (Tim Roth), can be seen smoking the brand. Tarantino has also included his invented brand in other films like Kill Bill: Volume 1, Death Proof, and The Hateful Eight. In Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Tarantino even inserts a Red Apple commercial starring Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) into the action, as well as ensuring that Red Apple is Cliff Booth’s (Brad Pitt) brand of choice throughout the movie. While the brand and its recognizable label have become a signature of Tarantino’s, most Ted Lasso viewers might be a tad stumped about why the two worlds have now crossed over.
‘Ted Lasso’s Tarantino Connection Offers a Hint About Season 4’s Storytelling
Because Tarantino movies and Ted Lasso are so incredibly different in tone and storytelling style, there has been some speculation from viewers about why the Apple TV series decided to include the brand. Tarantino has been quoted as saying that some of his films do take place in a “real universe,” so the cigarettes could serve as a hint that Ted Lasso‘s story exists on that same plane. Fans have also pointed out that there are many Wizard of Oz allusions in the show, so the Red Apple cigarettes could be viewed as a nod to the trees that pop up along Dorothy’s journey.
In reality, a recent interview with Sudeikis confirms that Season 4’s Red Apple reference was intentional, and that the show’s writers did get permission from Tarantino to use the brand. As huge fans of Tarantino’s work, they merely wanted to pay tribute to his movies in a small yet noteworthy way. The Red Apple nod doubles as the perfect way to honor America before Ted travels back across the pond, making the UK his home again. As the season unfolds, it’s unlikely that there will be many more Tarantino references, but any Easter eggs included for the show’s most devoted fans just make watching Ted Lasso all the more fun.
Ted Lasso
- Release Date
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August 14, 2020
- Network
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Apple TV
