The Back Page: Putting the ‘Apple’ in Apple TV

The latest season of Ted Lasso on Apple TV divided opinion. Some enjoyed the return of their old TV show friends, laughing and learning as they have in the previous three seasons. Others may have appreciated the introduction of new characters like Tanya Reynolds’ Alice Chilton, but were disappointed with uneven storylines for the returning cast. And still others — the wisest, you might say — gave Season 4 a pass entirely, figuring that three seasons of Ted Lasso had wrapped things up very nicely, thank you very much, and that extending the show’s run would only lead to diminishing returns.

But there is one thing these warring parties can agree on about Ted Lasso, Season 4 — it contains an instance of Apple self-promotion so audacious it should be studied in schools. Long-time TV critic Alan Sepinwall took to Bluesky to call it “the most egregious bit of Apple product placement I’ve ever witnessed on an Apple show.”…