Seth MacFarlane’s Ted series could be reaching its end, but the creator could have a few tricks up his sleeve.
The Ted franchise began in 2012 with the release of the first feature comedy film, Ted, followed by Ted 2 in 2015. The movies were focused on John Bennett (played by Mark Wahlberg) and his childhood teddy, which comes to life, but is definitely R-rated. The series began in 2024 and is set in the 90s, following a young John as he navigates life with his inappropriate pal.
In an interview with Collider, creator and director MacFarlane has officially addressed the future of his foul-mouthed teddy bear and the series based around him. Within the interview, MacFarlane states that he could have Ted run for 20 seasons, which would match well with his other long-running comedy series, Family Guy, currently on its 24th season. He has also made it clear that the technical aspects of the series are proving to be the most challenging when comparing it to “doing a Marvel movie.”
“I will not out any particular streaming series — you can do that math in your head —, but there are certain series that are premise-based and other series that are character-based, which is how television operated for decades. You watch Friends, you watch The Office, those are character-based shows. If something is character-based, it can go indefinitely because it’s whatever situation you choose to put these people into, because it’s the people that your audience is showing up for.
That’s the simplest answer I can give. Ted is a character-based show. The only thing that hinders us is the expense. To create the bear is a lot of money. But you have these fantastic actors, you have this fantastic writing crew. You can do as many as you want. I mean, you could do 20 seasons of this thing, and it would work, but you have the CGI element that makes it challenging. But story-wise, to answer your question, it can be indefinite. There’s no limit to the number of stories you can tell with characters that people want to visit week after week.”
Seth MacFarlane as Ted in a therapist outfit in Ted season 1
In an interview with ScreenRant’s Grant Hermanns, MacFarlane addressed the future of the series, including a potential season 3, but gave a disappointing update that “as of now, there are no direct plans.” Reports suggest that season 1 of the series had a high budget of $70 million due to the use of CGI being added in almost every scene of the series. With MacFarlane saying the show can run for 20 seasons, it could be down to the high budget, which would ultimately end Ted.
It’s not all doom and gloom for everyone’s favorite stuffed animal, because MacFarlane’s comments state “for now,” giving some fans a glimmer of hope that news of a third season isn’t out of reach. Ted has been received well, with a perfect rating of 100% for season 2, which is often unheard of for comedy series of this nature and is definitely an improvement from the feature films.
Ted season 2 is available to stream on Peacock now.
Release Date
2024 – 2024-00-00
Network
Peacock
Directors
Seth MacFarlane
Seth MacFarlane
Ted (voice)
Max Burkholder
John Bennett