Summary

• Despite the lack of a Ted 3 movie, audiences can look forward to a Ted prequel series set in the 1990s, providing a new perspective on the lovably foul-mouthed teddy bear and John.
• Legal issues and the underperformance of Ted 2 at the box office contributed to the delay of Ted 3, leaving the franchise to take a different approach with a TV series.
• The Ted prequel series offers a fresh direction for the franchise, allowing for new storylines and character development, while also giving opportunities to young actors. Fans can expect the same hilarious and R-rated humor that made the movies popular.

Ted 3 isn't happening, despite many viewers clamoring for Seth MacFarlane's Ted movies to become a trilogy. However, while 2015's Ted 2 won't be getting a sequel, a Ted prequel series has already wrapped production. The upcoming comedy series by Seth MacFarlane, who will also return to provide the voice for the lovably foul-mouthed teddy bear, Ted. Rather than catching up with older Ted and John in Ted 3, the series will be a prequel set in the 1990s. Joining MacFarlane will be Max Burkholder as a teenage John, with Scott Grimes and Alanna Ubach as John's parents, Matt and Susan Bennett.

The Ted TV series will consist of six episodes that take place in 1993, when the novelty of Ted has passed and John has to focus on high school, getting a girlfriend, and planning for college. Ted remains a terrible influence but is still there to help John tackle the trials of adolescence like a true Thunder Buddy. While Ted 3 isn't happening, the franchise is still living on, and Seth McFarlane hasn't retired the foul-mouthed bear just yet. However, a TV series wasn't always the plan, and were it not for the performance of 2015's Ted 2 and some frustrating legal problems for MacFarlane, Ted 3 might have happened.

Ted 3 Was Delayed By Legal Issues And Ted 2's Performance

Copyright Issues And A Poor Box Office Run Doomed The Next Ted Movie

Legal issues and Ted 2's poor performance delayed Ted 3, necessitating a different approach for the franchise to continue. A production company in California tried to sue MacFarlane for stealing its idea about a beer-drinking talking teddy bear after Ted was released, and it took years for the copyright lawsuit to be withdrawn. By that point, some of the damage had already been done, and momentum for Ted 3 stalled while MacFarlane and Co. were tied up in legal proceedings.

At the same time, legal issues aside, Ted 2 under-performed at the box office (via Box Office Mojo) and wasn't the runaway hit of the original. What felt fresh and interesting in Ted felt like a creative retread in its sequel, something not even a subplot about stealing Tom Brady's "essence" could get around. While the plot primarily focused on Ted and his wife's (Jessica Barth) dreams of adopting a child, it reneged on the point of the first film, and John (Wahlberg) hadn't done any growing at all.

According to critics and viewers who didn't rate the sequel highly, Ted 2 even felt dull compared to the original. With even more jokes about pot, porn, and toilet humor than the first movie, Ted 2's tendency to double down on what made the first film work ended up making it boring. This prevailing reaction spelled doom for Ted 3 as it was reflected in the box office performance of Ted 2, a sequel many critics and viewers alike had high hopes for.

A Ted Prequel Series Is Secretly Perfect

Seth MacFarlane's Next Ted Project Is Better Than Ted 3

Continuing the franchise with a Ted prequel series is secretly the best route forward that MacFarlane could have taken. Not only will it allow fans to see Ted and John in a different light, but it will also shake up the formula of the films so that they don't feel played out, while at the same time giving opportunities to young actors. It wouldn't have made very much sense if John and Ted were still hanging out when John was in his 50s, throwing the same keg parties, getting high, and keeping him in the same place that he was when the franchise started with no additional personal growth.

Thankfully, a prequel can do away with other possible Ted 3 outcomes that might have involved something tragic to end the franchise, like Ted dying at the end, or John being forced to throw Ted out once and for all. There are an infinite number of fun, imaginative possibilities in a Ted series filled with adolescent hopes and dreams that can imbue the franchise with a sense of purpose. Not to mention, seeing Ted engulfed in the nostalgia of the early '90s when Mark Wahlberg was hitting his stride in Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch, is too good to pass up.

What We Know About The Ted Prequel Series

The Ted TV Show Arrives In 2024

The Ted series is coming to Peacock streaming with a premiere date of January 11, 2024. All seven episodes of the season will drop at the same time, which will make it a great opportunity for people who prefer to binge-watch shows. There was also more casting news for the series. Not only will John and his parents be in the series, but he also has a cousin living with his family named Blaire, played by 13 Reasons Why's Giorgia Whigham. Seth MacFarlane, who also created Family Guy and American Dad, had this to say about the new series:

"Tonally we're sticking pretty close to the first movie. I think people who've enjoyed the first movie and enjoyed that tone are going to be pretty happy with what we're doing here. We're going with what worked. But we're at the same time, exploring some new ground and kind of building up a past for John and Ted that we hadn't really delved into in the film."

The trailer also shows that John at this time was still a loser at love, and Ted seems interested in helping his best friend lose his virginity after John's parents force the bear to accompany John to school. The Peacock series also looks like it will keep the R-rated humor from the movies, with foul language, drug use, and sexual innuendos. It also seems that Ted is a lot less jaded than he was in the movies, and this series might show how he soon loses his faith in humanity. It seems like the Ted Peacock series will be a perfect follow-up from the movies, providing what made them so popular, but with a younger lead making it a fresh idea once again.