Despite its popularity with fans, there are currently no plans for a third season of Ted. According to Variety, series creator Seth MacFarlane recently told The Wrap that Peacock and Universal consider the show too expensive to continue.
“The show is really expensive to produce and there’s no way to do it at a lower cost,” MacFarlane said. “There’s no plan that I’ve heard of at the moment to do Season 3.”
Seth Macfarlane on The Graham Norton Show – YouTube, BBC
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Variety noted that when the show launched in January 2024, it broke records as Peacock’s most-watched original title to date. However, according to The Wrap, Peacock has not decided on whether Ted will receive a third season. Universal has not responded to Variety’s request for comment.
Background on the Franchise
The Ted franchise first began with the 2012 comedy film directed by and starring Seth MacFarlane as the voice of the living teddy bear. The film, which starred Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis, became a major box office success and helped establish MacFarlane as a major voice in mainstream comedy outside of animation. A 2015 sequel continued to build on John’s relationship with the crude bear.
Set in the early 1990s, the Ted TV series serves as a prequel to the films. Max Burkholder plays a younger version of John Bennett, the character portrayed by Wahlberg in the films. MacFarlane returned as the voice of Ted.
Max Burkholder and Ted in the Season 1 trailer – Peacock, YouTube
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“It’s very good that we had two Ted films under our belt, because the workload is something that, on a weekly basis, is just insurmountable,” MacFarlane said. He praised the crew behind the series, crediting them with pulling off a complex production schedule. “It’s like you’re doing an Avengers movie every 22 minutes with the amount of CGI that it takes, not only to animate the bear, but to act the bear,” he said. “We couldn’t have done it if we had not had the education of doing two films 10 years earlier.”
Still, the extensive visual effects work, motion reference, and post-production integration may make producing a third season difficult. That said, Peacock does have future plans for Ted.
Future of the Series
Last May, Peacock announced plans for a Ted animated series that will take place after the two films. Exact plot details have not been revealed. MacFarlane is set to return as the voice of the bear. Additionally, Mark Wahlberg, Amanda Seyfried, and Jessica Barth are signed on to reprise their film roles as John, Sam, and Tami-Lynn respectively.
While Ted’s future in semi-live-action remains uncertain, the franchise has proven its longevity. MacFarlane also told The Wrap that he deliberately wrote himself into a corner with the Season 2 finale. He added that could probably find a way out of it if Ted gets a third season. “There’s always a way to do anything. But at the moment, it might take some narrative acrobatics.”
Ted in the Season 1 trailer – Peacock, YouTube
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Regardless, the foul-mouthed bear has remained a popular character since the first film debuted in 2012, spawning a sequel and a successful streaming series. With an animated project already in development, Ted’s story may continue even if a third season of the Peacock series does not move forward. For now, fans will have to wait to see what direction the franchise takes next.
Were you hoping for a third season of Ted? Let us know in the comments!
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