Seth MacFarlane made his directorial debut with “Ted” in 2012, telling the story of John Bennett, a man from Boston in his 30s with a talking teddy bear — played by MacFarlane. A decade later, MacFarlane is returning to the iconic role, this time in the television world.
The Daily spoke with him and executive producers Paul Corrigan and Brad Walsh about the upcoming prequel series by the same name, which follows John and Ted through high school in 1993.
The “Ted” movie, which MacFarlane wrote, produced, directed and starred in alongside Mark Wahlberg, is one of the highest-grossing R-rated comedies of all time. The sequel film, “Ted 2,” had similar success. Despite the movies’ accolades, MacFarlane said, a series format may be an even better medium for these stories.
“Ted, at the end of the day, is just about relationships,” he said. “Structurally, it’s probably the most representative of any incarnation of this franchise.”
The show is a 7-episode series, where each episode tells a standalone story about John and Ted growing up.
According to MacFarlane, these vignettes offer a chance to showcase “more intimate” stories in the characters’ lives.
“We don’t have to tell these big, grand, life-changing stories,” he said. “We can tell smaller stories, which is better for comedy to begin with.”
MacFarlane said he reprised the role of Ted instead of casting a younger actor to maintain the integrity of the character. Comedian Pete Davidson’s name was thrown around for the role. Max Burkholder of “Parenthood” plays a young John.
He added that it was important to him that the humor and themes of the movie remain consistent in the show.
“What they’re gonna see is totally, absolutely true to the first movie,” MacFarlane said. “We have not toned it down or softened it or made it any less than it was.”
Staying true to the movies meant maintaining the R-rated humor the original films are known for, MacFarlane said. In this tone, the show sees John and Ted undergo multiple “firsts,” including their first experiences with adult films and marijuana.
Corrigan and Walsh, who had not worked with “harder” comedy before, said the show’s R-rated moments were “really fun” to write, and streaming services open up avenues not offered in broadcast television.
“This will separate itself from the pack for prioritizing hard jokes and comedy while still balancing heart and a grounded world,” Walsh said.
Also unique to the project is its innovative ViewScreen technology, which allowed the production team to see Ted on screen while filming — instead of adding in the animation later. “Ted” is the first show to use ViewScreen, which MacFarlane called “transformative” for the experience.
ViewScreen also made it easier to keep up with the faster pace that television requires, MacFarlane said.
That pace encouraged a “kinetic feeling” and “camaraderie” on set, he added.
Corrigan said he felt that camaraderie in the writers room, too, compared to the “fairly lonely process” of writing a movie.
“We were able to assemble a team of writers, sit around a table and hash out stories,” Corrigan said. “That was a really fun process.”
Walsh, Corrigan and MacFarlane all grew up in New England in the ‘90s and used their own experiences in crafting the show, set in a suburb of Boston. Walsh and Corrigan said they pulled from their own life experiences as Boston Red Sox fans, Massachusetts high schoolers and, in Walsh’s case, with a fear of anesthesia, to build storylines.
Nearly 12 years after the first film’s success, MacFarlane said he hopes the humor, relationships and setting of “Ted” still hit home with audiences. The show premieres on Peacock Jan. 11.
“Is there still an appetite for Ted?” he said. “We will find out soon enough.”
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