Though it’s been nearly 10 years since the last Ted movie came out, its influence is not forgotten. With the first Ted passing $500 million and the second film making almost $200 million, it’s clear that audiences were not ready to say goodbye to this sentient stuffed animal. Now Seth MacFarlane is back to tell the origin story of this rowdy and hilarious teddy bear. Picking up where Ted’s initial childhood flashback left off, the new Peacock series follows Ted and his best friend John as they go to high school together for the first time. No stranger to creating hit TV shows, MacFarlane has assembled a cast of trustworthy and consistent veterans as well as exciting newcomers to round out the cast of this prequel comedy series.
Ted
ComedyIn 1993, the sentient teddy bear Ted lives with the family of his owner John Bennett, who wished him to life.
Release Date January 11, 2024 Creator Seth MacFarlane Cast Seth MacFarlane , max burkholder , Alanna Ubach , Scott Grimes , Giorgia Whigham Main Genre Comedy Seasons 1 Streaming Service(s) Peacock Franchise(s) Ted Directors Seth MacFarlane Showrunner Seth MacFarlane , Paul Corrigan , Brad Walsh ExpandSeth MacFarlane as Ted
CloseSeth MacFarlane plays Ted, in his third time voicing the troublesome teddy bear. Originally just an ordinary teddy bear, he was brought to life when John wished for him to come to life on the night of Christmas, so they could be best friends forever. Since then, Ted has become a loyal best friend and quite a nuisance. Though he was reborn as a happy and selfless toy, over the years he has become much more irresponsible and foul-mouthed. Due to his at-home antics, the Bennett family finally decides it is safer to send him to school with John than leave him alone at home.
MacFarlane is no stranger to TV and is most famous for his debut series, Family Guy, which he not only created but voices dozens of characters, including Peter Griffin, Brian, Stewie, Glenn Quagmire, Mr. Pewterschmidt, Tom Tucker, and Jake. He also produces and stars in another hit animated series, American Dad, where he voices numerous roles. MacFarlane also ventured into live-action television with the Star Trek tribute series, The Orville. Apart from television and the Ted movies, MacFarlane wrote, directed, and starred in the Western satire, A Million Ways to Die in the West.
Max Burkholder as John Bennett
CloseMax Burkholder plays John Bennett, a role that was previously portrayed by Mark Wahlberg. John is the young boy whose sincere wish brought Ted to life and subsequently became his best friend in the world. Like Ted, he is a slacker who enjoys making trouble but is much more mild-mannered than his fuzzy friend. Though Ted often inhibits his ability to integrate into the popular crowd or get girls, he always stays loyal to his friends.
Burkholder is most famous to TV audiences for his role as Max Braverman, a teenager with Aspergers on the NBC series Parenthood. Since then, Burkholder has worked steadily in both film and television, starring in movies like The Purge and working alongside MacFarlane in shows like The Orville and The Cleveland Show.
Alanna Ubach as Susan Bennett
CloseAlanna Ubach plays Susan Bennett, a role originally portrayed by Alex Borstein. Given much more backstory in this version, Susan is a wide-eyed, innocent, and sincere mother who always sees the best in Ted and Matty even when they don’t deserve it. Susan is a devout Catholic and is much more religious than the rest of the Bennetts, even singing in the church's choir.
Ubach first gained recognition for playing Serena McGuire, one of Elle Woods’ most loyal friends in both Legally Blonde and Legally Blonde 2. Since then, she has worked in movies like Bombshell and Coco and TV shows like Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce and The Flight Attendant. She is perhaps best recognized for her role on the hit HBO teen drama, Euphoria, in which she plays Suze Howard, a tough but fair single mother.
Scott Grimes as Matty Bennett
CloseScott Grimes plays Matty Bennett, a role originally played by Ralph Garman. As John’s father, he serves as the ‘bad cop’ to Susan’s ‘good cop’ and is the one to enforce that Ted starts going to school, so he can finally stop wrecking the house and growing a brain. A loud Vietnam veteran, Matty is often driven to yell for the slightest infraction. Matty is much more conservative than the rest of his family and is constantly at odds with his liberal niece, Blaire.
Grimes rose to prominence on one of the most ambitious HBO miniseries to date when he joined the ensemble cast of Band of Brothers, a series produced by both Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks, which followed the lives of the members of the famous World War II “Easy Company." Grimes has worked steadily in television with roles on shows like ER and alongside Seth MacFarlane for The Orville. A seasoned voice actor, Grimes also lends his talents to Family Guy and, most notably, American Dad, where he plays Steve Smith, the nerdy son of Stan and Francine Smith, who spends most of his time hanging out with his alien pet Roger or geeking out with his friends.
Giorgia Whigham as Blaire Bennett
CloseGiorgia Whigham plays Blaire Bennett, John’s much more intelligent and progressive cousin. Though she is attending Emerson College, she lives with the Bennetts because her own immediate family is far too dysfunctional as her brother Kevin is currently serving time in prison. A self-righteous young woman, she often tries to look out for John and Ted, so they don’t get into trouble, but her advice is too often ignored.
In one of her first roles, Whigham played Kat, the former friend and next-door neighbor to the tragic protagonist Hannah in Netflix’s 13 Reasons Why. She has also acted in shows like The Punisher, Scream, and Legacy. This will be her second collaboration with Macfarlane as she has also enjoyed a guest appearance on his sci-fi show, The Orville.
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