This Is How TV Shows And Films Are ‘Greenlit’, And It’s Way Harder Than I Thought

If you haven’t heard yet, it looks like Ted Lasso may be coming back for a fourth final, despite creator and star Jason Sudeikis always planning just three seasons of the show.

Yes, over the weekend, Deadline reported that Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein and Jeremy Swift had all had their contracts renewed by Apple TV, giving fans hope that the show may return and that the show is heading towards a season 4 ‘greenlight’.

However, what does it actually take for a show or film to be ‘greenlit’?

So, what you probably have figured out by now is that a greenlit show has been given the go-ahead and can start undergoing production.

Studiobinder explained: “In the film industry, when a project is ‘greenlit’, it signifies that the project has received official approval to move forward into production. This decision usually comes from the studio or the entity financing the project after considering several factors.”

These several factors are actually far more complex than you’d think, too.

Film and TV expert Kathryn Arnold said that, in order to be greenlit, a project must meet most of this criteria:

Mutually approved script
Mutually approved budget
Mutually approved production schedule
Lead actors attached (at minimum a letter of intent from actor or rep)
Director attached (at minimum a letter of intent from actor or rep)
Fully executed agreement with a funding source(s) that outlines the amount to be invested, and a cash flow that is in accordance with the talent and crew payments.
Proof of funds in the bank, or at least fully accounted for (i.e. enough cash in the bank, or the bank has approved all the essential elements and will loan against distribution contracts and tax credits)

She added: “After these criteria have been met, there will still be script revisions, budgets change, an actor or two may need to be replaced, but in order to be greenlit in the first place, these elements must in place—particularly the money to cover the production budget.”

Let’s hope the Ted Lasso team have all of their ducks in a row!