Our favorite talking teddy bear is officially coming to the small screen. The live-action adaption of the Seth MacFarlane-created Ted movies will have its small screen debut in a straight-to-series on Peacock. It was first announced in June 2021 that the series was green-lit with MacFarlane and Ericka Huggins to write and executive produce the series under MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door Productions.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, NBCUniversal Entertainment Content chairman Susan Rovner first pitched the Ted series idea to MacFarlane, saying:
Ted first came out in 2012. It follows a large teddy bear that comes to life after a lonely boy, John, wishes for it to, resulting in his teddy bear that talks. Thirty years later, they are still best friends living in Boston. Ted becomes a foul-mouthed, pot-smoking talking teddy bear, and John still follows along with Ted’s shenanigans but is in a serious relationship with his girlfriend, Lori. He soon realizes he has to choose whether to continue living a carefree lifestyle of never growing up with Ted or ultimately growing up and marrying Lori.
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Seth MacFarlane wrote, directed, and stars as Ted, while Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis played John and Lori, respectively. The first movie was a financial and critical success, with MacFarlane even receiving an Academy Award nomination for best original song for “Everybody Needs a Friend.” The sequel, Ted 2, was released with MacFarlane and Wahlberg returning with Amanda Seyfried cast as the female lead.
While it initially wasn’t revealed what the Ted series would focus on or if any cast members would return, more information is slowly being released about the series that will get fans excited. Here’s everything we know so far about the upcoming Ted series.
The Series Plot
Universal Pictures
The Ted series has been confirmed to be a prequel to the two movies and will be set in the 1990s. According to Peacock, it’s 1993, and Ted’s moment of fame has passed, leaving him living with his best friend, 16-year-old John Bennett, who lives in a working-class Boston home with his parents and cousin. Ted may not be the best influence on John, but when it comes right down to it, Ted’s willing to go out on a limb to help his friend and his family.
The plot looks like it’ll give fans a chance to understand John’s loyalty to Ted beyond his teen years, potentially leading up to the first movie.
The Series Cast
The biggest news most fans were anticipating about the Ted series was who would be cast and if any original cast members would return. Along with the plot announcement, we also learned more about the main cast members of the series. It is confirmed that Seth MacFarlane will return as the voice of Ted. After the show was greenlit, MacFarlane was in negotiation from the start to return, and now it is official!
Along with MacFarlane, new cast members Giorgia Whigham, Max Burkholder, and Scott Grimes are also confirmed as series regulars. Variety noted each series’ regulars role: Burkholder will play the role of John Bennett, a good guy and likable teen who is, however, still in his awkward phase. With Ted’s help, John is doing his best to navigate adolescence. Whigham will appear as Blaire Bennett, a smart and politically correct college student who’s living with her Uncle Matty, Aunt Susan and younger cousin John. She is not afraid to be outspoken and frequently clashes with her more traditionalist family. Grimes will play Matty Bennett, a blustering, blue-collar Bostonian who thinks he is the unequivocal boss in the family and doesn’t like anyone challenging him, particularly his liberal-minded niece, Blaire.
A possible return to the series could be frequent Family Guy collaborators Alex Borstein and Ralph Garman, who play John’s parents in the first Ted movie. It’s also possible that Giovanni Ribisi’s character Donny, who has been Ted’s biggest fan and stalker since he was a kid, may be in the series but played by someone else since it is set in the 1990s.
Release Date
Peacock ordered ten episodes of the Ted series. While fans now have an idea of what the series will be focused on, there’s still no word on when it will premiere. Production has also not reportedly begun but after the cast and plot announcement, it shouldn’t be too long until fans hear more news about the series.
