Summary

Seth MacFarlane’s new show Ted has become the most watched original series on Peacock, despite receiving mixed reviews from critics. The series takes viewers back to 1993 and offers a fresh perspective on the early life of the character John Bennett, played by Mark Wahlberg in the movies. Audiences have responded positively to the show, with a 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating its wide-reaching appeal and potential for future success.

Seth MacFarlane’s success on TV has continued with the arrival of Ted on Peacock. Having already had huge hits with the likes of Family Guy, American Dad and The Orville, the prequel series to MacFarlane’s raucous, pop-culture laden movies that center on the titular foul-mouthed teddy bear has set a new record for the streaming platform, becoming their most watched original show ever. Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, the show’s performance highlights its wide-reaching appeal, and MacFarlane’s ability to draw in a crowd.

Ted takes viewers back to 1993, offering a fresh perspective on the early life of John Bennett, the character originally brought to life by Mark Wahlberg in the films. The series sees Max Burkholder stepping into the role of a young John, with MacFarlane returning to voice Ted – because why would anyone want to mess with that? The ‘90s era setting certainly plays to MacFarlane’s strengths, as while it allows him to indulge in plenty of college humor, it also puts the characters in a time period that offers up plenty of nostalgic throwbacks that litter his shows and movies. Burkholder’s portrayal of John is close enough to Wahlberg’s style in the movies that the continuity of Ted’s universe is mostly left intact, and with such an impressive debut, there is every chance that this will not be the last we see of the series.

The audience’s response to the series has been significantly more positive than the critics’ reception. With an impressive 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, Ted has clearly resonated with viewers, even more than the original movies did, and in a stark contrast with the mixed reviews from critics. However, it is audiences that drive the success of any series, and for Ted, it seems that the series has hit the spot.

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Will There Be a Ted 3?
Peacock

Despite the series’ success, the idea of a third Ted movie may still not be out of the question, but does seem to be less likely than ever. The original film was a box office hit, but its sequel, the imaginatively titled Ted 2, did not fare as well, either in terms of worldwide gross or its reviews. The underperformance of the sequel and a nearly nine-year gap seemed to have put the franchise on hold. However, with the series’ impressive debut on Peacock, the story of John and his talking teddy bear has found a new life.

Although there were many doubts over Ted’s transition to television, it seems that once again, audiences have shown that TV extensions of popular movie franchises can work if everyone sticks to doing what made the originals popular, rather than trying to change-up the format, casting leads or style to fit with standards. Where returning franchises such as Disney+’s Willow revival failed to capture the spirit of the 1988 movie, MacFarlane has taken everything that fans of Ted loved and packaged even more of it into the series.

All seven episodes of Ted are now streaming on Peacock. and you can check out MovieWeb’s chat with stars Max Burkholder and Giorgia Wigham below.