It’s no secret that while a good deal of people found an interest in 2012’s Ted due to the creator’s previous creations like Family Guy and American Dad, others knew of the film series because of its secondary lead played by Daddy’s Home star Mark Wahlberg. The upcoming Peacock show (self-titled Ted), however, omits the actor in favor of a younger one to play the teen years of protagonist John Bennett. At the same time, we get to explore Ted’s fall from the graces of fame, which took place sometime before the film’s opening.
Speaking during the PGA Produced By conference via TheWrap, MacFarlane shared the challenges of adapting the animated stuffed teddy for a prequel TV show and the challenges of rearing away from Wahlberg for its starring human. Since potty-mouthed teddy bears don’t actually exist in the real world, a lot of the initial film’s raw footage was on Wahlberg. Figuring out exactly how this character existed without Mark’s stage presence was a valid hurdle to begin with. As an added bit of challenge, Ted himself is difficult to nail down since CGI is a beast that can take six to eight months to complete at minimum, from what the showrunner and star said. MacFarlane likened the production to The Orville, which had a similarly difficult process.
Ted’s TV adaptation didn’t come out of nowhere — around this time last year, Collider reported on Peacock ordering a TV show based around this profane bear. Other details like its ‘90s setting were confirmed during a The Hollywood Reporter interview. The rationale around the setting and making it a prequel boils down to the possibility that there’s more storytelling that can take place.
If you were ever interested in what led to the downfall of the teddy bear brought to life by a child’s wish, then this is certainly the show that seeks to answer these questions. However, the attitude of Ted is still under question. Will he still have that crass charm that the films gave us, or will it gradually build up until he’s the same Ted we know from the movies? Time will soon tell!
