“Getting punched in the balls really does stick out to me,” cracked Max Burkholder of some of his most memorable scenes playing young John Bennett in Peacock’s R-rated Ted prequel series. Mark Wahlberg embodied adult John in the hit Ted films, brought to life by comedic mastermind and nostalgia fan Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy, American Dad, The Orville). MacFarlane returns here as writer, showrunner, and executive producer, and also voices Ted in a standout series that couldn’t arrive at a better time.

If you’re wondering if MacFarlane can top his film iterations about one guy’s bond with the Teddy bear that mysteriously came to life after an innocent childhood wish, fear not. This Ted is outrageously fun. Set in 1993, Ted’s fame has waned, and now he’s living back in the Massachusetts home of bestie, John, who’s 16 and coming into his own. The series also stars Scott Grimes and Alanna Ubach, as John’s parents, Matty and Susan, and Giorgia Whigham as Cousin Blaire.

Of course, Ted’s questionable influence generates funky ripple effects, from dysfunctional holiday gatherings to high school hijinks. Early on, John is seen bullied at school, with Ted doling out the worst kind of advice. “All the stuff with Clive the bully was so great and getting punched in the gnards like 15 times in a row was distressing, but ended up being really funny,” mused Burkholder of the scenes. The actor, along with costar Giorgia Whigham and executive producers and co-showrunners Paul Corrigan and Brad Walsh share more in these excerpts from our exclusive MovieWeb interview.

The Showrunners’ Greatest Fears

From the get-go, Paul Corrigan and Brad Walsh wanted this Ted to land well. The duo previously struck gold producing Modern Family and King of the Hill, two of the best television comedies of their generations. The biggest issue with Ted 2024? Nearly nine years had passed since Ted 2 and more than a decade since MacFarlane made his directorial debut with Ted back in 2012. Would audiences embrace the character again, especially in a prequel series?

“Ted is so iconic and distinct that if we didn’t make that switch gracefully, we’d have some very upset Ted fans,” explained Brad Walsh. “Luckily, Seth was hands-on the entire time — in the writers’ room and on set, and obviously he’s Ted, so that helped a lot.”

Related: Every Seth MacFarlane Movie and TV Show, Ranked

“When we began this process, one of the things that made me very nervous was casting the role of John, because not everyone can step into a role played by Mark Wahlberg and hold their own,” Paul Corrigan added. “Max came out with his audition that was just fantastic, and really made the part his own while still showing elements of what the character will become. I was relieved when I saw that, to say the least.”

Walsh went on to say that any doubts about Ted’s ability to be another hit quickly dissipated:

“One moment that I think about a lot is the first moments of the pilot. And it helps that we didn’t write those. They arrived fully formed, written by Seth. And that was the first we had seen of Ted the TV show. So, you’re wondering, ‘Okay, we’re on board with this thing, what are we on board?’ Then suddenly, you get to bottom of page one, and it’s hilarious and irreverent, and a relief. And I thought, ‘Oh. We haven’t heard voices like this in a long time. I think audiences might be as happy as I am to hear them again.’”

On Working with Seth MacFarlane
Peacock

The year 1993 was never this fun. As a teenage John, Max Burkholder captures the smart-ass spunk of the original character. And Seth MacFarlane is sharp as ever as Ted. New to the mix is

Giorgia Whigham as Cousin Blaire, who’s smart, tough, and outspoken. It all plays well into the dysfunctional family dynamics of the Bennett household. In fact, while all seven episodes that were previewed by press shine, it’s the series’ final three that truly warrant a green light for more, which would deliver yet another coup for Peacock after Poker Face and Mrs. Davis.

On working with Ted/Seth MacFarlane, Burkholder said:

“It is just empty space. Seth and the EPs will be able to talk a lot more about the tech that went into it, because they invented a whole new proprietary system to make the shooting as streamlined and easy as possible. But from our perspective, that didn’t matter one bit, because it was empty space. We were looking at nothing. Seth would be off over in the corner doing the lines, which is very helpful, but it was tough to do for the first couple weeks, for sure.”

Check out this clip of Ted attempting to be a marriage counselor:

“A huge thing for me [about working with MacFarlane] would be the importance of preparation,” Whigham noted, “because I think we all came super prepared already, but if you weren’t, it would have stood out because everyone came ready to go. Seth is already thinking seven steps ahead, so you’re going to get left in the dust, you know what I mean? You have to keep up and know your stuff.”

Related: The Best Comedy Shows About Big Families

Burkholder said he realized one big thing about teaming with MacFarlane:

How vastly inferior us mere mortals are in comparison to him. He is juggling a thousand different balls and wearing 50 different hats at any given time while also giving a really solid, awesome performance that you can really play well off of.

As for what he’d love his character to experience in future iterations of Ted, Burkholder cracked: “I’d like to see John get laid.”

In time, super trooper. Catch Ted on Peacock, beginning January 11, through the link below, and check out the trailer:

Stream on Peacock