Ted, the foul-mouthed teddy bear voiced by Seth MacFarlane, has returned for his self-titled prequel series on Peacock. The binge-worthy, vulgar, and hilarious first season is bound to leave viewers anxious for season 2.
Fans were long overdue for a Ted return, considering it has been almost a decade since the last film, Ted 2, was released. The first Ted movie was a box office success and remains one of the most successful R-rated comedies of all time. It follows the outlandish and hilarious story of John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg), who, as a lonely child, wished his teddy bear would come to life. His wish was inexplicably granted, resulting in him still living with his teddy bear and best friend, Ted, well into adulthood. However, Ted also happens to be a foul-mouthed, crude, alcoholic, and vulgar bear who frequently gets John into trouble.
Peacock’s Ted series is a worthy prequel to the films. Although it received mixed reviews from critics, audience reviews are overwhelmingly positive. The series takes viewers to the 1990s, where we see Ted up to his usual antics, but this time alongside an awkward teenage John (Max Burkholder) and his dysfunctional family. Ted may actually be funnier than the movies, plus there’s an extra layer of depth and emotion due to the coming-of-age themes and John’s feeble attempts to be something more than the product of his family’s dysfunction. To fans of the franchise, the seven-episode first season of Ted will feel far too short.
Is Ted renewed for season 2?
As reported by Deadline, Ted has been officially renewed for a second season at Peacock. The decision wasn’t an easy one to make, as the CGI teddy bear makes the series quite expensive and time-consuming to make. However, the show rose to become the streamers’ most-watched TV show to date. It also spent two months at No. 1 on Nielsen’s original streaming comedy chart in the U.S. As a result, Peacock ruled that the series was worth a continuation.
Prior to the renewal, the series’ showrunner and producers were cautiously optimistic when addressing the chance of Ted season 2. MacFarlane reiterated that it largely relies on the performance of season 1 and whether there is a demand for more. He also pointed out how the appetite for Ted seemed to have died down when Ted 2 came along and that he doesn’t want to make the same mistake by overloading viewers with further Ted seasons if it’s not what they want. He told TheWrap:
I think we felt after Ted 2 that maybe the appetite for Ted in that forum was not quite as ravenous as it was after the first movie. So I don’t know, there would have to be a reason to do it. There has to be an audience for something like this. You don’t want to just keep rehashing the same character if no one’s watching. I guess there’s a lot of that today anyway, but it’s not really our first order of business, there really has to be an appetite.
However, executive producers Paul Corrigan and Brad Walsh noted their openness to a second season and how the show could continue storywise. After all, John is just 16 in the first season, meaning many stories are left to tell in his adventures with Ted and his family, such as senior year, graduation, and college. Ted does play out a bit like an anthology series, as each episode simply tackles a new Ted and John story, leaving plenty of room for more stories in the future.
Ultimately, fans proved their appetite for Ted content and helped the series secure a second season at Peacock.
(featured image: Peacock)
