^{Credit: Ted (Peacock)} 

While Seth MacFarlane’s Ted was a surprise hit in 2012, its sequel saw diminishing returns, so much so that Family Guy would make fun of it (as does Ted Season 2). When it was announced that Ted would be getting a prequel streaming series almost a decade after the fact, it seemed like another desperate case of IP farming. In an unlikely twist, Ted (the series) not only delivered the laugh-a-minute comedy that put MacFarlane on the map, but also featured an engaging family dynamic. MacFarlane has often cited All in the Family as one of his inspirations. Ted Season 1 probably came the closest to that classic sitcom, with a lovable bigot father, a kind-hearted yet naive maternal figure, and rebellious youth reflecting social change. This version just so happened to have a sentient teddy bear. 

What separated Ted the series from Ted the movies was that it didn’t rely too much on the bear to do all the heavy lifting. Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis did a convincing job acting opposite a CGI bear, but you wouldn’t want to watch a movie just about John and Lori’s relationship troubles. I’d watch a show about young John and his family, even if it didn’t have the talking bear. That said, Ted is present, and he is naturally the scene-stealer. For my money, Ted was the funniest show that premiered in 2024. So naturally, it got no Emmy nominations. 

You could argue that a show about a pot-smoking teddy bear wasn’t high-brow enough for Emmy voters. Considering that Family Guy once got an Outstanding Comedy Series nomination and the Ted movie got an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song, though, a lack of snob appeal likely wasn’t the issue. It was that the series is on Peacock, which doesn’t exist as far as audiences or the industry is concerned (The Traitors notwithstanding). That’s likely why most of their shows don’t last beyond two seasons. Ted seems inclined to meet the same fate due to its high production costs, although Season 1 debuted to record numbers. It’ll be a shame if Season 2 is the end of Ted, as it’s just as funny as the first. 

That’s not to say some of the ideas don’t echo storylines we previously saw on Family Guy: the family matriarch going to jail, the family debating the ethics of abortion, drunkenly making out with the family’s resident talking animal, and clashing over the O.J. Simpson verdict. Even when the setups sound familiar, the writing is fresh with so many one-liners that you need to rewatch the season to catch them all. While much of the humor is irreverent, it’s also largely character-based, with the human cast bringing surprising believability to a cartoony environment. 

Seeing how the titular character is CGI, it’d be easy for the actors to overdo it. Even at their most over-the-top, though, there is a grounded sensibility to the Bennett family. It never ceases to amaze me how Scott Grimes goes from voicing the teenage dweeb Steve Smith on American Dad! to hotheaded Bostonite Matty. Alanna Ubach brings genuine warmth to the soft-spoken Susan, who can even make friends with murderous prison inmates. Blaire could’ve become a politically correct stick in the mud, but Giorgia Whigham has sharp comedic timing that plays well off the constant dysfunction her character puts up with. Max Burkholder also finds a balance between awkward teen and somebody who could still realistically grow up to be Mark Wahlberg. 

Then, of course, there’s Ted, who always has something uproarious to say. Ted isn’t the season’s only special effect, with one episode set against a D&D backdrop and another featuring a deepfake Bill Clinton (voiced by MacFarlane). Ted probably could’ve worked as a fully animated series. If anything, it would’ve been more cost-effective for Peacock (an animated spinoff is reportedly in the works). Yet, the fact that this is a live-action sitcom somehow makes it even more absurd. What really sells the show is that nobody acts as if any of this is out of the ordinary. If anyone ever winked at the camera or acknowledged just how ridiculous their circumstances are, the comedy would’ve fallen flat. Watching the actors deliver these lines with a straight face, you give in to the insanity. 

Since the characters are so well-defined, we can also buy into the more serious and sincere moments, which prevents the season from just being an onslaught of gags. Between the kicks to the groin, seduction of lonely housewives, and calls to sex hotlines, we do get invested in every member of the Bennett household. Like the first season, Season 2 is reminiscent of earlier Family Guy episodes, which weren’t always focused, but still knew how to balance heart with surreal humor. Is it the deepest or most thought-provoking comedy on TV? No, but Ted remains one of the consistently hilarious. Plus, unlike another bear-related show that is inclined to get several Emmy nominations this year, this comedy actually has laughs… and even a bear. 

Nick Spake is the Author of Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows Volumes 1, 2, and 3. Available Now!