Ted is finally making the transition from live action to the medium he was originally conceived for. Following the 2024 live-action prequel show, Ted: The Animated Series will be set after the events of Ted 2, following Ted and John as older adults with families and jobs but the same dysfunctional friendship that defined the films.
Mark Wahlberg, Amanda Seyfried, and Seth MacFarlane all reprise their movie roles, but the voices aren't the only element that will feel familiar. For some people, the animation style is creating a sense of deja vu due to how much it looks like Seth's previous hit animation series.
Seth has created or co-created several adult animated series: Family Guy, following the Griffin family in Rhode Island, American Dad!, The Cleveland Show (a spin-off from Family Guy), and the web series Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy.
Ted: the Animated Series is "basically Family Guy again for the fifth time", someone complains in the comments on YouTube. It's "Family Guy with Ted as the lead character" someone else reckons.
That's a bit like saying AC/DC's Power Up is High Voltage for the fifteenth time. Yes, but when you've found a house formula that works, why change it? From a marketing perspective, looking somewhat like Family Guy is arguably a feature rather than a flaw.
Seth has a recognisable style shaped by masters like Tex Avery, Chuck Jones and Matt Groening. Characters have simple clean shapes and strong silhouettes, making them easy to recognise and animate.
Restrained facial expressions and economical movement contrast with absurd situations and put the focus on the dialogue and humour, which is what the series is about.
Seth conceived Ted decades ago as an animated television concept before turning it into a movie franchise. It's going to be interesting to see it finally appear in the medium originally intended, and with Family Guy increasingly constrained by network television standards, an animated Ted on streaming could potentially be more unfiltered, adult-oriented and experimental than the long-running Fox series.
Ted: The Animated Series premieres on Peacock with an initial batch of 8 episodes from 17 December.
If you're inspired, see our guide to the best laptops for animation.
