Seth MacFarlane’s movie gets a prequel: Is a ‘Ted’ revival worth the hype?

Do you remember the Seth MacFarlane movie about a potty-mouthed teddy bear? Ted, starring Mark Wahlberg and MacFarlane himself, was released in 2012, and it was the most financially successful original comedy film of all time then – though its record has since been beaten. It spawned a sequel in 2015, but after that the franchise was forgotten. Now, NBC wants to revive it for a prequel series.

Streaming platforms are always looking for new content, especially if that content is tied to an existing property. Audiences haven’t seen MacFarlane’s Ted in six years, but he’ll be making a grand return to the screen via Peacock sometime in the near future. There aren’t many details on the prequel series currently, but we’ll catch you up on everything you need to know about Ted and its prolific creator right here. 

Who is Seth MacFarlane?

Whether he’s making movies or television shows, Seth MacFarlane has a knack for creating hilarious properties that impress audiences & critics alike. He’s best known for his work on the hit series Family Guy, which has now been on the air for over twenty years. Family Guy is produced by MacFarlane’s company Fuzzy Door, which also produces television shows like The Orville, American Dad, and Cosmos.

In the early days of 2020, Fuzzy Door signed a nine-figure deal with NBCUniversal. The company is currently working on an impressive batch of new content for NBC’s Peacock platform. Fuzzy Door will be producing a variety of comedies & dramas, and they’ll be working on both shows & movies. The current lineup includes The Winds of War, Smokey and the Bandit, Skywatch, All Our Wrong Todays, and more. 

In addition to his television work, MacFarlane is also currently producing two feature films via Fuzzy Door. For Universal, he’s working on Fairy Tale Ending, which will star Bryce Dallas Howard and Octavia Spencer. Over at 20th Century Studios, MacFarlane is working on a reboot of the classic Revenge of the Nerds. With all that work, it’s incredible that MacFarlane can even find the time for a Ted revival!

Ted prequel

Developing prequels & spinoffs for existing properties is all the rage right now, especially for internet-based streaming platforms that need to stay flush with new content. It’s doubtful many audience members left Ted 2 wanting to know the title character’s backstory, but the success of the Ted franchise definitely demands attention.

When Ted released back in 2012, it quickly became the highest grossing original comedy film of all time. It’s success was unheard of for a non-sequel comedy. Ted 2 didn’t perform nearly as well as its predecessor, but it was also far from a commercial flop. Between the two films, the Ted franchise made over $750 million worldwide. 

At the moment, details on Peacock’s Ted prequel series are slim. Seth MacFarlane is set to write the script and executive produce the show based on his movie, and it’s reasonable to assume he’ll reprise his role as the titular character, as well. NBCUniversal has ordered ten episodes, direct-to-series, but they haven’t clarified what the timeline on the production will be. 

Considering it’s already been six years since audiences last sat down with Ted, NBCUniversal will likely want to produce the new show as quickly as possible. Fans of the film will remember that Ted’s costar was just as important to the story as the teddy bear himself. 

Unfortunately, because it’s a prequel series, it doesn’t seem likely that Mark Wahlberg will make an appearance, and if he does, it will likely just be a brief cameo or a voiceover. 

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Will you be tuning in for the Ted prequel series whenever it makes its way to Peacock? Let us know in the comments!