Even with both Family Guy and American Dad still going strong on Fox and TBS, respectively, Seth MacFarlane is definitely still keeping busy with other projects, such as Ted, the TV spinoff of his pair of blockbuster comedies. Not a whole lot has come out about the new show, even before all the strike-related silence, but now fans not only have some new footage to enjoy, but there’s also a premiere date and a special message from MacFarlane himself. And by “special,” I mean “jokingly capitalist.”
As shared on X, MacFarlane dropped a silly little video in which current-day Ted reads a letter that his younger self wrote back in 1993, which is when the streaming series is set. Check it out below, with hopes that everyone reading already has a Peacock subscription.
Get psyched to subscribe to yet another streaming service, because the “Ted” event series arrives January 11th only on @peacock! #tedseries pic.twitter.com/Gt8a3QYzUFNovember 16, 2023
Just when you thought the creator and voice actor’s tweet account for the only swipe taken at Peacock, the first joke in the footage pokes fun at the idea of the NBCUniversal platform being “the most successful streaming platform ever.” Of course, that sentence would have been far more meaningless in 1993, when the Internet was barely capable of handling high-res photography, much less 24/7 streaming. I can’t even imagine what that word would have meant then.
The video then jokes about space travel hopes then compared to the current reality of things, where it’s just as easy to access adult entertainment on our phones as it is to find a video of a successful shuttle launch. And don’t even get me started on the lack of flying cars. Nobody's living that Jetsons life.
Beyond the teaser, Seth MacFarlane dropped the news that Ted will debut the first of its seven episodes on Thursday, January 11. Will it immediately stand out as the best comedy of 2024? It would be bear-y surprising if so, but the Ted films are quite beloved by fans, so I have to think the creative team bringing the prequel to streaming tried their damnedest to match up with what's come before, even without Mark Wahlberg's version of John Bennett in the mix.
Speaking of co-stars that will be around, however, check out a new picture that features Ted around the dinner table with a far younger John, played by Max Burkholder, as well as his cousin Blaire (Giorgia Whigham) and parents Susan and Matty, played respectively by Alanna Ubach and Scott Grimes, who previously worked with MacFarlane on The Orville and American Dad. That mustache is something else, I tell ya.
So mark your 1993 The Far Side calendars with the date of January 11, which is when Ted will begin streaming on Peacock. Head to our 2023 TV premiere schedule to see what else is popping up in the meantime.
