Perhaps you used to have or currently have a fictional best friend in the form of a cuddly toy. Have you ever wondered what it would be like if that came to life? You can see how that can work out in the Ted series. Over the years I have become a fan of the comedic style that Seth MacFarlane has developed. I am familiar with the series The Orville. What I know him best from is the Ted film series. You have to like his humor, but if it resonates with you then it is very funny to watch. This also applied to the films about Ted for me. That's why I was pleasantly surprised when I read that Ted would return in the form of a series. I must say that I was hesitant whether Ted's concept would work out well in the form of a series, but the success formula appears to work extremely well.
The Ted series takes place long before the films. To be precise, it is 1993 and Ted (Seth MacFarlane, The Orville) has lived his famous life. He now lives back home in Framingham with his best friend John Bennett (Max Burkholder, Parenthood). They live in the house with the old-fashioned father Matty (Scott Grimes, The Orville) and the caring mother Susan (Alanna Ubach, Euphoria). The family is complete with niece Blaire (Giorgia Whigham, The Punisher) who no longer has contact with her own parents and is living with the Bennett family.
As a child, Ted was a cheerful, friendly, generous and sweet teddy bear. Growing up, Ted became irresponsible, unpredictable and brash, but as a teddy bear, Ted can do things that people wouldn't get away with. Ted and John go through enough in the series. John goes to school and Ted has to deal with it too. Ted wants to be expelled from school as quickly as possible, but notices that he can be a source of support for John. They have to deal with bullies, the pleasure of the hookah and the admiration for women. Ted may be a bad influence on John, but ultimately he is a loyal friend who will do anything for their friendship.
Ted may be a bad influence on John, but ultimately he is a loyal friend who will do anything for their friendship.
It feels weird to talk about chemistry between people and an animated teddy bear, but I'm going to do it anyway. The chemistry between John and Ted is okay, but it could have been better. I feel like it came across more naturally in the films with the adult John Bennett (played by Mark Wahlberg). You notice that Max Burkholder needs to grow a bit in his acting performance, although it does improve as the series progresses. I find the interaction between Ted and niece Blaire much more fun to watch. This is well reflected in an episode where Ted has to be the Bob for Blaire when they go to a party. Of course, Ted happily drinks along and that causes quite a few problems.
The absolute standout remains Ted himself. How Seth MacFarlane gives shape to the teddy bear with his voice is phenomenal. To be funny at all and make people laugh in a series is already difficult. Let alone when you have to do that with just your voice, which is the rendition of a well-animated teddy bear. The intonation and his timing are so good that he can be funny. The makers deserve a big compliment for how Ted is portrayed. Whether Ted's animation looks good or not can make or break the series. In this case it is in no way inferior to the film series and that benefits the series.
Ted is not a high-quality series, but an extremely entertaining snack to break the routine of the day. Seth MacFarlane's humor and the length of the episodes contribute to this. Thanks to Ted, I finished a few days with a grin on my face. Ted has proven to be a success and has therefore been renewed for a second season. I'm curious to see what else the cheeky teddy bear has in store for us.
Thanks for this review. It convinced me to watch this series, even though I wasn't really planning to. I'm also a big fan of Seth McFarlane and his humor, so I'm curious.
It's nice to read that the review was able to encourage you to watch it. Especially if it turns out that you think it's a cool series. It would be a shame to miss it:) I would have laughed the same, a few times. I found one episode disappointing because of the woke content. You probably know which one I mean. That was unnecessary for this series in my opinion.
Haha, I know exactly which one you mean. Something with a dump truck. Yeah, but even that had some good jokes in it. However, that was indeed a bit redundant and seemed a bit dragged in, maybe to compensate?
Yes, it could be. The character Blaire is outspoken enough and she can get by just fine through the episodes. It didn't need any special attention, because it's already mentioned in passing. But there were indeed some good jokes in it. Curious what else they're going to do with this series.
