Ted, Seth MacFarlane’s new show, has set a new Peacock streaming record. Serving as a prequel to the two movies in the Ted franchise, the new series is set in 1993, following a younger version of John Bennett, the character played in the movies by Mark Wahlberg. The series, which sees Max Burkholder take on the role of John and MacFarlane return to voice the titular bear, premiered on Peacock on January 11, earning mixed reviews from critics.
Now, following its premiere, Collider reports that MacFarlane’s prequel show has broken records for Peacock. Ted now officially stands as the most-watched original title in the history of the platform, though no actual viewing figures were provided. One big reason for the impressive performance is likely the show’s release corresponding with the NFL’s Super Wild Card Weekend, which saw the Peacock app experience a jump in downloads.
How Has The Ted Show Been Received?
What It Means For The Franchise’s Future
Reviews for the show are mixed, but according to Rotten Tomatoes, are generally more positive than the ones for Ted 2. Both the prequel and the sequel, however, didn’t fare as well with critics as the original movie. Notably, however, the Ted show’s Rotten Tomatoes audience score sets a new franchise record at 90%. Check out a chart of the titles’ Rotten Tomatoes scores below:
Title | RT Critics Score | RT Audience Score |
|---|---|---|
Ted (2012) | 69% | 73% |
Ted 2 (2015) | 45% | 50% |
Ted (2023-) | 58% | 90% |
While critics reviews may not be loving the new show, it’s the audience response that really matters. It’s possible that the impressive viewership figures will lead to a Ted season 2. Speaking about the possibility recently in an interview with TheWrap, MacFarlane expressed that another season will only happen if there’s a clear audience interest. The show’s breaking of Peacock viewership records would certainly seem to suggest that there is.
It seems unlikely, however, that the success of the show will lead to a Ted 3 movie. The sequel underperformed at the box office in 2015, earning less than half of what the original movie did, and a tepid response from audiences and critics essentially killed the franchise for almost 9 years. With the Ted show landing at the perfect time and winning audiences over with its humor and charm, however, it’s entirely possible that MacFarlane’s talking bear will return for another adventure in one form or another.
Ted
Ted is a prequel TV series to the comedy franchise of the same name by Seth MacFarlane. The TV show brings MacFarlane back as the voice of the talking teddy bear Ted, who is growing up in the ’90s with John Bennett and his family. Ted is a Peacock original series that premiered in January 2024.
- Release Date
- January 11, 2024
- Cast
- Seth MacFarlane , max burkholder , Scott Grimes , Alanna Ubach
- Genres
- Comedy
- Creator(s)
- Seth MacFarlane
- Writers
- Seth MacFarlane , Brad Walsh , Dana Gould , Jon Pollack , Julius Sharpe , Paul Corrigan
- Streaming Service(s)
- Peacock
- Franchise(s)
- Ted
- Directors
- Seth MacFarlane , Brad Walsh , Dana Gould , Jon Pollack , Julius Sharpe
