Ted Prequel Series Reveals First Teaser, Peacock Premiere Date

Seth MacFarlane's Ted TV series debuts on Peacock in January.

By Charlie Ridgely

After eight years away from the spotlight, Ted is coming to the small screen. Seth MacFarlane's 2011 film Ted, which featured the writer/director voicing the titular teddy bear, was a substantial success at the box office. MacFarlane and star Mark Wahlberg returned for a sequel in 2015. Early next year, Ted is turning back the clock with a prequel series on Peacock, and now the streaming service has announced when the show will be debuting.

The series, simply titled Ted, is a prequel about the walking and talking bear that takes place in 1993. Mark Wahlberg won't be back, but his character will be, this time as a 16-year-old dealing with the difficulties of teenage life. On Thursday, Peacock unveiled a teaser trailer for the series, as well as the news that all seven episodes of Ted will be released on January 11, 2024. Take a look!

In the Ted TV series, John Bennett is played by Parenthood's Max Burkholder. The main cast also includes Alanna Ubach, Scott Grimes, and Giorgia Whigham. MacFarlane will be reprising the role of Ted.

You can check out the official synopsis for Ted below!

"In this comedic prequel event series to the Ted films, it's 1993, and Ted the bear's (Seth MacFarlane) moment of fame has passed. He's now living back home in Framingham, Massachusetts with his best friend, 16-year-old John Bennett (Max Burkholder), along with John's parents, Matty and Susan (Scott Grimes and Alanna Ubach) and cousin Blaire (Giorgia Whigham). 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."

In addition to sharing the teaser, Peacock released a note from MacFarlane and executive producers/writers/co-showrunners Paul Corrigan and Brad Walsh about the new series.

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"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 expressionist. 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 said. 

"Our series is a prequel to the Ted movies. It takes place in the nineties but is based on the timeless truth that being sixteen sucks. The only thing that makes it tolerable is going through it with a friend, even if that friend is a has-been magical teddy bear with a foul mouth and proclivity for drug use. The three of us were teenagers in the nineties and grew up in and around Boston, where the show takes place, so many of these stories are personal for us. We were able to put the characters through some of the same indignities and milestones we experienced back then. Also, we made stuff up (it's a lot of pages to fill and real life is mostly boring)."

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