It has long been touted that Ted will be returning in the form of a television series, rather than a silver screen sequel to 2015’s Ted 2. Seth MacFarlane believes that the best way to boost the franchise and align it with the modern entertainment industry is to get it onto a streaming platform.
Peacock picked up the rights for Ted, and the series will most likely drop some time in 2023. It will serve as a prequel to the films and will explore the early life of the sentient teddy bear.
Ted Prequel Series Began Filming in August
The Ted prequel series is definitely happening, as filming began in August 2022 and has already wrapped. The series is being produced by Fuzzy Door Productions, MRC, and Universal Content Productions, and Seth MacFarlane is the series creator. The Family Guy star is also set to reprise his role as the lovable talking teddy bear.
Rather than continue the story of the films, the as-yet-unnamed series will detail Ted’s early days as an anthropomorphic bear. This means that it will have a brand new cast and will most likely not feature Mark Wahlberg or Mila Kunis. Some of the stars confirmed to be in the show so far alongside MacFarlane include Alanna Ubach, Scott Grimes, and Giorgia Whigham.
There are eight episodes planned for the first season, but there hasn’t been an announcement about how many seasons there will be. There is a lot of potential for the series to go in new directions, though, as it will take place many years before the events of the movies.
Franchise Getting a Major Boost
It’s clear that MacFarlane is attempting to jump on the modern franchising trend of marketing a brand in as many places as possible to gain the greatest amount of attention. The movies were successful and brought in over $750 million between them, meaning that they can form a great foundation for a booming franchise.
One of the best ways to get a brand’s name in front of as many people as possible is to branch out into gaming. The slots market is often the best route, as a slot game can reach a sprawling audience. There is already a Ted slot, and it is one of the most popular games at MrQ. The site uses games like this to attract players, along with casino promotions that can help draw people to the site. These include deals like first deposit spins and a refer your friends bonus.
Adding a series to these offerings will boost the franchise even more and draw people to the other content available. It could also lead to more game releases on different platforms in the future.
MacFarlane has done plenty of projects in the film industry since he gained fame as the creator of Family Guy. However, his work on the smaller screen is arguably superior to what he’s done in cinema. That means that the Ted series could be a massive hit, and it’s likely to lead to the expansion of this popular franchise.