Peacock announced today the main casting for TED, the highly-anticipated live-action comedy series based on the blockbuster film franchise, with Seth MacFarlane (The Orville, Ted & Ted 2, Family Guy) set to reprise the voice of the “loveable” foul-mouthed teddy bear Ted. The show will also feature Giorgia Whigham (The Punisher, 13 Reasons Why), Max Burkholder (Parenthood) and Scott Grimes (Oppenheimer, The Orville) as regular stars of the series. It’s the latest production to come out of the $200 million partnership between MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door Productions and NBCUniversal.
The new show will take place in 1993, and Ted the bear’s moment of fame has passed, leaving him living with his best friend, 16-year-old John Bennett, who lives in a working-class Boston home with his parents and cousin. Ted (a foul-mouthed, pot-smoking teddy bear brought to life by magic) may not be the best influence on John, but when it comes right down to it, Ted’s willing to go out on a limb to help his friend and his family.
In addition to the starring role, MacFarlane will also direct, write, co-showrun and executive produce all episodes alongside co-showrunners, writers and executive producers Paul Corrigan and Brad Walsh (Modern Family). Erica Huggins of Fuzzy Door, Alana Kleiman, and Jason Clark are also on board as EPs.
The rest of the cast will be rounded out by:
MAX BURKHOLDER (Parenthood) as John Bennett, played as an adult in the films by Mark Wahlberg. John is a good guy and likeable teen who is, however, still in his awkward phase. With Ted’s help, John is doing his best to navigate adolescence.
GIORGIA WHIGHAM (The Punisher, 13 Reasons Why) will play the role of Blaire Bennett. Blaire is a smart and politically correct college student who’s living with her Uncle Matty, Aunt Susan, and younger cousin John. She is not afraid to be outspoken and frequently clashes with her more traditionalist family.
SCOTT GRIMES (Oppenheimer, The Orville) will play the role of Matty Bennett, in a re-named version of the character played in Ted by Ralph Garman. Matty is a blustering, blue-collar Bostonian who thinks he is the unequivocal boss in the family, and doesn’t like anyone challenging him, particularly his liberal-minded niece, Blaire.
TED is the second series order since MacFarlane and Fuzzy Door signed a multi-year television deal with UCP in 2020. Also coming to Peacock this year from Fuzzy Door is the disaster science series THE END IS NYE, hosted by Emmy Award-winner and renowned science educator Bill Nye. Fuzzy Door will produce alongside Universal Television Alternative Studio and UCP, divisions of Universal Studio Group. Next up for the company is The Orville: New Horizons, the highly anticipated third season of the Emmy-nominated space adventure series, premiering on Hulu on June 2.
Images via Peacock
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