Ted (TV series) explained

Genre:Comedy
Creator:Seth MacFarlane
Director:Seth MacFarlane
Theme Music Composer:Walter Murphy
Opentheme:"Everybody Needs a Best Friend" by Norah Jones
Composer:Walter Murphy
Country:United States
Language:English
Num Seasons:1
Num Episodes:7
Producer:John Jacobs
Cinematography:Jeffrey C. Mygatt
Runtime:33–51 minutes
Network:Peacock
Related:Ted
Ted 2

Ted (stylized in all lowercase) is an American fantasy comedy series created by Seth MacFarlane for Peacock. The third installment in the Ted franchise, it serves as a prequel to the feature films. It stars MacFarlane reprising his role as the voice of the titular character, alongside Max Burkholder, Alanna Ubach, Scott Grimes, and Giorgia Whigham.

Ted premiered on January 11, 2024. In May 2024, the series was renewed for a second season.

Premise

Set between 1993 and 1994, in between the opening sequence and main plot of Ted (2012), the series depicts the early life of a sentient teddy bear named Ted, as he lives with 16-year-old John Bennett and his family in Framingham, Massachusetts.[1] In addition to John and Ted, the Bennett household includes John's father Matty, his mother Susan, and his cousin, Blaire, who is living with them while attending a college nearby. In the pilot episode, Ted is forced to attend school with John from then on, due to the trouble he causes while the rest of the family are at school and work.

Cast

Main

Recurring

Guest

Episodes

Season 1 (2024)

Production

It was announced in June 2021 that Peacock had given a straight-to-series order for a prequel series to the 2012 film. In addition to serving as executive producer for the series, Seth MacFarlane reprises his role as the titular character Ted. Due to the prequel nature of the series, film stars Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, and Amanda Seyfried were not expected to reprise their roles.[3] In April 2022, Scott Grimes, Max Burkholder, and Giorgia Whigham joined the cast.[4] In May 2022, Alanna Ubach rounded out the cast of the series.[5]

MacFarlane stated that he was offered a chance to make a Ted television series by Universal, following the success of the films, and agreed to do it so long as the CGI on Ted was not "nickel-and-dimed." He ultimately decided on a prequel as opposed to a continuation from where Ted 2 left off, citing the greater story potential and Wahlberg's busy schedule.[6] MacFarlane also noted the appeal of doing a streaming show in which the main character is CGI, something he had not really seen before.[7] According to Burkholder, each of the main cast members had to walk around with a life-sized replica of Ted for three months to prepare for their roles before filming.[8]

Filming began in August 2022 at the Universal Studios Lot.[9] [10] The show was produced with ViewScreen, a new program developed at Fuzzy Door Productions that allowed special effects to be viewed in real-time while filming instead of waiting to add them in post.[11] The series consists of seven episodes. In November 2022, Seth MacFarlane confirmed that filming had wrapped.[12]

In May 2024, the series was renewed for a second season.[13] In August 2024, it was reported by Puck that the second season was nearly cancelled due to high production costs around $8 million per episode, with Universal opting to continue the franchise with an animated series in addition.[14]

Release

The show's premiere took place on January 10, 2024, at the AMC Cinema at The Grove in Los Angeles.[15]

All seven episodes of Ted were released on January 11, 2024.[16] Within the first three days after its premiere, the series became the most-watched original title on Peacock.[17] In the UK, the series was released on Sky as eight episodes, with episode one split into two parts, premiering on February 9, 2024.[18]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 73% of 41 critics' reviews are positive for the series, with an average rating of 6.8/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "The silly old bear isn't quite up to new tricks with this foul-mouthed sitcom, but fans of Seth MacFarlane's caustic comedy will get plenty of kick out of Teds latest antics."[19] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 51 out of 100 based on 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[20]

Nick Schager of The Daily Beast gave the season a positive review, praising its humor and handling of political themes, even stating that the series "earns quite a few more chuckles than its big-screen counterparts."[21] Chris Vognar of Rolling Stone was similarly optimistic, describing the show as "silly" and "juvenile" but full of laughs nonetheless.[22] Neal Justin of Star Tribune described Ted as "actually kind of sweet––and noble", praising its comedy and heart.[23]

Varietys Allison Herman was far more critical, describing the franchise as "not the kind of story that requires expansion" and criticizing the show's similarity to the movies and lack of identity. She also criticized the series' 40-minute runtime and low episode count, describing seven episodes as "when an actual network sitcom would just be getting started."[24] Angie Han of The Hollywood Reporter gave the show a mixed review, praising the casting and the chemistry between MacFarlane and Burkholder, but criticized the episodes' length and pacing. She stated that "for every element that clicks, there are a half dozen more that don't" and suggested that Seth MacFarlane might be getting in his own way.[25] Anita Singh of The Daily Telegraph awarded the series one star out of five, writing "MacFarlane's sweary Paddington has one joke… and it isn't big, it isn't clever and it's certainly not funny."[26]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Seth MacFarlane on Moving 'Orville' From Fox to "Classier" Hulu, Comedy's Controversies and His 'Ted' Hopes. The Hollywood Reporter. Gajewski, Ryan. June 1, 2022. June 2, 2022. June 1, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220601235328/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/seth-macfarlane-orville-new-horizons-interview-1235156331/. live.
  2. Web site: Coming Jan 11th on @peacock I truly cannot wait for people to see this, truly some of the funniest shit ever filmed #tedseries . instagram.com.
  3. Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . 'Ted' TV Series From Seth MacFarlane Based On Movie Ordered By Peacock; UCP & MRC Producing . . June 10, 2021 . June 10, 2021 . June 10, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210610180407/https://deadline.com/2021/06/ted-tv-series-seth-macfarlane-peacock-ucp-mrc-1234772135/ . live .
  4. Web site: Andreeva . Nellie . Ted: Giorgia Whigham, Max Burkholder & Scott Grimes Join Seth MacFarlane In Peacock Series Based On Films . . 13 April 2022 . April 13, 2022 . April 13, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220413174651/https://deadline.com/2022/04/giorgia-whigham-max-burkholder-scott-grimes-cast-ted-seth-macfarlane-peacock-series-1235001608/ . live .
  5. Web site: 'Ted': Alanna Ubach Joins Seth MacFarlane's Peacock Series Based On Films. Deadline. Petski, Denise. May 20, 2022. May 21, 2022. February 4, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230204131616/https://deadline.com/2022/05/ted-alanna-ubach-seth-macfarlanes-peacock-series-based-on-films-1235029224/. live.
  6. Web site: Seth MacFarlane Reveals Why We're Getting a Ted Prequel Series Instead of Ted 3 . Gomulka . Stephanie . January 11, 2024 . . January 18, 2024 . January 18, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240118162906/https://www.nbc.com/nbc-insider/seth-macfarlane-why-ted-prequel-series-mark-wahlberg-casting . live .
  7. Web site: Seth MacFarlane Shares The Story Behind Ted . . December 18, 2023 . January 18, 2024.
  8. Web site: 'Ted' stars spent 3 months with life-sized bear in preparation for film . January 5, 2024 . . January 19, 2024 . January 19, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240119164818/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kj5rZxygOvI . live .
  9. Web site: Welch . Rebecca . Seth MacFarlane's 'Ted' Series Is a Go on Peacock . . 13 February 2022 . January 19, 2022 . February 13, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220213194656/https://www.backstage.com/magazine/article/seth-macfarlane-ted-series-peacock-74560/ . live .
  10. Web site: Massoto . Erick . Ted Prequel Series Will Tonally Match Hit Movie, Seth MacFarlane Confirms [Exclusive] ]. . 5 July 2022 . July 5, 2022 . July 5, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220705221147/https://collider.com/ted-series-comedy-tone-rating-seth-macfarlane-interview/ . live .
  11. Web site: Seth MacFarlane Talks 'Ted' Behind-the-Scenes with ViewScreen . . January 11, 2024 . January 18, 2024 . January 17, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240117073844/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3E3z4JPxf_w . live .
  12. MacFarlane . Seth . Seth MacFarlane . SethMacFarlane . 1595652048770301953 . November 24, 2022 . That's a wrap on "Ted"! Thanks to our brilliant cast and stellar crew! A truly exceptional group of people. Get ready world, the bear is back. @peacock . en . December 7, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221127142331/https://twitter.com/SethMacFarlane/status/1595652048770301953 . November 27, 2022 . live.
  13. Web site: Otterson . Joe . 2024-05-09 . 'Ted' Renewed for Season 2 at Peacock . 2024-05-09 . Variety . en-US.
  14. Web site: Goldberg . Lesley . 2024-08-20 . The Best and Worst Deals of Peak TV (Part 1) . 2024-08-20 . Puck . en-US.
  15. Web site: Magazine . Sheen . 2024-01-11 . Peacock Celebrates Premiere of TED from Seth MacFarlane in Los Angeles - Streaming January 11, 2024 . 2024-02-18 . Sheen Magazine . en-US.
  16. Web site: 'Ted': Peacock Reveals Premiere Date, Trailer For Event Series From Seth MacFarlane. Deadline Hollywood. Lynette. Rice. November 16, 2023. November 16, 2023. November 16, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231116163810/https://deadline.com/2023/11/ted-peacock-reveals-premiere-date-trailer-for-event-series-from-seth-macfarlane-1235613291/. live.
  17. Web site: 'Ted' Prequel Series Sets Viewership Record With Peacock Debut . O'Rourke . Ryan . January 15, 2024 . . January 17, 2024 . January 20, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240120194403/https://collider.com/ted-peacock-streaming-viewership-record/ . live .
  18. https://www.sky.com/watch/ted
  19. ted. Ted. tv. 1. February 8, 2024. y.
  20. ted-2024. Ted. tv. 1. January 11, 2024. y.
  21. Web site: The New 'Ted' Series Is as Filthy, Offensive, and––God Help Us––Funny as Ever . Schager . Nick . January 11, 2024 . . January 12, 2024 . January 25, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240125185026/https://www.thedailybeast.com/obsessed/ted-tv-series-review-filthy-offensive-rude-and-still-so-funny . live .
  22. Seth MacFarlane's 'Ted' TV Show Is Surprisingly Funny . Vognar . Chris . January 11, 2024 . . January 12, 2024 . January 12, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240112023720/https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/ted-review-seth-macfarlane-peacock-stoner-teddy-bear-funny-1234944665/ . live .
  23. Web site: TV review: Seth MacFarlane's 'Ted' is cuddlier and cuter than you might expect . Justin . Neal . January 10, 2024 . . January 12, 2024 . January 12, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240112071240/https://www.startribune.com/tv-review-seth-macfarlanes-ted-is-cuddlier-and-cuter-than-you-might-expect/600333761/ . live .
  24. Web site: Talking Bear 'Ted' Makes Unwelcome Return as a Half-Hearted Spin on the Family Sitcom: TV Review . Herman . Allison . January 11, 2024 . . January 12, 2024 . January 11, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240111233135/https://variety.com/2024/tv/tv-reviews/ted-review-seth-macfarlane-peacock-1235867980/ . live .
  25. Web site: 'Ted' Review: Seth MacFarlane's Foul-Mouthed Teddy Bear Returns in Indulgent Peacock Prequel Series . Han . Angie . January 11, 2024 . . January 12, 2024 . January 11, 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240111222240/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/ted-review-seth-macfarlane-1235783086/ . live .
  26. Web site: Ted, review: Seth MacFarlane's sweary Paddington has one joke – and it's threadbare . The Telegraph . 9 February 2024. 12 March 2024.

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