It’s not too often a limited series comes along that leaves you wanting more. Ted is one of those offerings. From creator, executive producer, and all-around comedy titan Seth MacFarlane, the new Peacock prequel series to the popular Ted films is a welcome surprise. The seven-episode show drops on January 11, taking viewers back to 1993 where Ted the stuffed bear (voiced by MacFarlane) deals with post-fame life by heading to high school with 16-year-old John (Max Burkholder). Expect dips into nostalgia and plenty of antics in this new iteration of a Teddy Bear that mysteriously came to life.
MacFarlane, who also serves as showrunner alongside Paul Corrigan and Brad Walsh (both of Modern Family), is as sharp as ever here. In addition to Burkholder as the younger version of Mark Wahlberg’s character from the films, Giorgia Whigham stars as Cousin Blaire. Meanwhile, scene-stealers Scott Grimes (American Dad, The Orville) and Alanna Ubach (Euphoria, Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce) play John’s diversely different parents, Matty and Susan, a hilarious amalgam of Red and Kitty from That ’70s Show and Archie and Edith from All in the Family. The hilarious duo laughed it up with MovieWeb in this exclusive interview that quickly turned into one of the season’s best chat fests. Dive in and check out our video interview above.
Bringing Ted Back in a New Way
Ted was always a questionable influence on John in the Ted films, and in this version, things are no different. Between poor dating advice and stirring up even more dysfunction in John’s family, the smart-mouthed Teddy Bear is crass and troublemaking as ever. Watching it all play out—and freaking out intermittently—are John’s parents, Max/Matty and Susan, the finest latter-day Archie and Edith Bunker we may ever come across. When asked whether the All in the Family vibe was intentional, Alanna Ubach immediately responded with an enthusiastic “yes” before Scott Grimes shared more:
“Seth subtly handed me all the DVDs of the entire series of All in the Family because I still watch DVDs, and he’s like, ‘Take a look at that.’ And I’m like, ‘Why?’ He said, ‘I have this idea.’ So, I couldn’t ever do what Carol O’Connor did in that show, but I think it was just to show how you can maybe get away with some things your mouth is saying.” And Matty lets it rip. Outspoken and tightly wound, the man is vocal about everything from the Clinton Administration to religion.
On Playing Susan
At the opposite end of the personality spectrum is the character of Susan, who is naïve, sweet, and warm-hearted. Ubach captures the distinctly original nuances of Susan to Emmy-worthy ends throughout this run, which is quite a leap from her previous roles.
Euphoria fans loved the actress, who played Cassie and Lexi’s wine-sipping mother in the dark sleeper starring Zendaya. Ubach also starred as bestie to Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon) in Legally Blonde.
“Susan is a character I’ve never played before,” Ubach said. “I feel so grateful that Seth MacFarlane actually trusted me with this character. I think the character is very personal to him. And for me, I thought, well, the only way I can convince this gentleman that I can play this role… is that I’m just going to have to leave Alanna in the parking lot every single day at work and walk in and be this character all the time. So, for like 12 hours a day, I would just stay in her body, and it was a fun planet to be on.”
The Things People Say
The best series have them—those one or two characters that becomes instant fan favorites. There’s Homer Simpson on The Simpsons, Gloria Delgado-Pritchett (Sofía Vergara) on Modern Family, Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute on The Office. In Ted, it’s Matty and Susan. You read it here: Matty and Susan are bound to go down as two of the best new television characters of 2024.
When asked what the most surprising thing MacFarlane’s script required Grimes to say as gruff Matty, the actor said:
“Everything. First of all, I’d walk up to the crew and say, ‘Guys, I’m going to yell this line many times today.’ What I never wanted was for any of this to make anybody feel bad. You just don’t want whatever this guy is saying to bring down the room when you’re filming a comedy. So, I warned everybody. I’m like, ‘This guy is a monster.’ Some of the things that I had to say to Blair’s friend are things I don’t believe in, but I had to keep reminding myself it’s all so that Blair and the family can teach him how to be a better person. And just making him just dumb enough so people feel bad for him and go, ‘Oh, he’s going to be great when he’s taught something.’ That was the challenge for me, you know, not to talk actor-y, but you know, there are challenges to try to figure out not to piss everybody off.”
“He’d be the perfect character in a Wonka movie, wouldn’t he?” Ubach chimed in. “Yeah, one that wins the golden ticket.”
“If only they would make a new Wonka movie,” Grimes shot back.
Blasts From The Past
Considering the source material, it seemed fitting to ask the actors about their childhood toys. Specifically, if they had their way, what childhood toy would they love to come to life?
“There were so many,” Ubach mused. “I was sort of like an only child. My sister was 11 years older than me. Of course, everyone remembers the Cabbage Patch Dolls. The Cabbage Patch Dolls were great, and I had one, and his name was Alan. He was a lovely little infant. He was a preemie with a little tattoo on his behind. But I really would have loved the Garbage Pail Kids, which I had, to come alive at night and wake me up, and we’d go bar hopping and make terrible decisions, and end up in prison for 20 years. Garbage Pail Kids come to life. It’s Dressy Jessie!”
Laughing, Grimes added: “If I had that choice, not to bring it down, but my grandmother died young… I would bring her back to life. I’m joking guys. No. I had an ugly E.T. doll. The only reason I want to bring him to life is because I want an E.T. in front of me.”
Tune into Ted beginning January 11 on Peacock. Watch the trailer below.
