Peacock has announced that their Ted prequel series will bring back Seth MacFarlane as the voice of the titular talking teddy bear. The backbone of Peacock’s original programming has so far been the previously existing intellectual property of NBC and Universal. In addition to airing revival seasons of popular series like Punky Brewster and Saved by the Bell, they have made a habit of converting films or franchises that they own into television properties in their own right, like MacGruber or The Lost Symbol (which is based the novel of the same name from Dan Brown’s series, other entries in which were previously adapted into the films The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, and Inferno, all of which starred Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon).
Also in the Universal library is the Ted franchise, which began with MacFarlane’s directorial debut Ted in 2012. That film starred Mark Wahlberg as John Bennett, a Boston native who, as a young boy, made a wish that his teddy bear (MacFarlane) would come to life and be his best friend. His wish came true, but the blessing became a curse as he grew up, his bond with Ted forcing him into a sort of arrested development that causes a rift between John and his girlfriend Lori (Mila Kunis). Ted was a sizeable hit, grossing $600 million off a $60 million budget, so a sequel, Ted 2 was greenlit in 2015. Peacock announced that they were developing a Ted TV show back in summer 2021, but until now not much progress had been made on the series.
Today, Peacock finally announced major details of the project. For quite some time, it seemed doubtful that MacFarlane would return, but it has indeed been confirmed that he will be voicing Ted yet again in the live-action series. MacFarlane will also direct every episode, along with co-writing, co-showrunning, and co-executive producing with Paul Corrigan and Brad Walsh.
The Ted series will take place in 1993, long after Ted’s initial fame has waned. John is now 16 years old, and Ted may or may not be the best role model as his human best friend is starting to come of age. Teenage John will be played by Max Burkholder, who played the young son in 2013’s The Purge. Also joining the cast are Giorgia Whigham (13 Reasons Why) as John’s college-aged cousin Blaire and Scott Grimes (who has also worked with MacFarlane on The Orville) as John’s father Matty.
There is currently no word on how many episodes Ted will have, or when the release date is going to be. However, with that team at the helm, it seems like they have no intention of softening Ted’s edges. The series is certain to be just as ribald and out-there as the original films, perhaps even more so considering the many teenage hijinks they will be able to get themselves into.
