Thanks for coming to Seth MacFarlane’s Ted talk. After two movies, MacFarlane is once again gearing up to voice the foul-mouthed teddy … but in a TV show this time. Set in 1993, the upcoming prequel series Ted will follow its titular character’s life in Framingham, Massachusetts. Ted is living with his 16-year-old best friend John Bennett (Max Burkholder), as well as John’s parents (Scott Graimes, Alanna Ubach) and cousin (Giorgia Whigham). Per a show synopsis, “Ted may be a lousy influence on John, but at the end of the day, he’s a loyal pal who’s always willing to go out on a limb for friendship.†MacFarlane, Paul Corrigan, and Brad Walsh — who serve as executive producers, writers, and co-showrunners — released a self-aware joint statement about their show: “Each generation develops its own unique artistic style, its own way of seeing the world. In the twenties, it was the subversive musical phrasings of jazz. In the fifties, it was the bold brushwork of the abstract expressionists. Our generation’s unique art is streaming content based on previously successful intellectual property. In that proud tradition, we humbly give you Ted.†The trio added that many of the stories in the show draw from personal “indignities and milestones,†given that they were teenagers in the ’90s who grew up in and around Boston.
A teaser for the series gives us our first look at the optimistic younger Ted from 1993, who we see writing a hopeful letter to his future self. “If you’re reading this, it means we got a new series on the most successful streaming platform ever,†young Ted writes. “Ehh, we got a new series,†today’s Ted replies. Ted drops all seven episodes on Peacock, which is definitely a streaming platform, on January 11, 2024.