Ted the Series: Do you need to watch the movies first?
PeacockTed the talking bear returns for his own series, but do you need to watch the two movies first to know what’s going on?
While Seth MacFarlane may be best known for Family Guy, the Ted movies have also proven pretty popular, to the point that a new prequel series is coming out.
This new 2024 Peacock series, which is set in the 90s follows this synopsis: “Rude teddy bear Ted lives with 16-year-old John and his family in Massachusetts; although Ted may not be the best influence on John, he is a loyal buddy who is always there for his best friend.”
But considering that there’s already two Ted movies, do you have to watch them first to understand the show?
Do you need to watch the Ted movies before the show?
No, you don’t need to have seen the movies to grasp the central premise of the show, though watching the films either before or after the show may increase your enjoyment of it. You can check out how to watch the Ted movies here.
The prequel series gets across the plot in its opening, showing how Ted magically came to life before fading into irresponsible irrelevance, which is basically where we find him at the start of the movies. Outside of that central concept, the show is pretty much doing its own thing, with only John and Ted himself being characters that appear in both the films and the show.
Ted first dropped back in 2012, with Seth MacFarlane voicing the titular character, along with Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis. It followed this synopsis: “When John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) was a little boy, he made a wish that Ted (Seth MacFarlane), his beloved teddy bear, would come alive. Thirty years later, foul-mouthed Ted is still John’s constant companion, much to the chagrin of Lori (Mila Kunis), John’s girlfriend. Though Lori’s displeasure is exacerbated by the pair’s constant consumption of beer and weed, she’s not the one who’s most disappointed with John; it may take the intervention of John’s boyhood toy to help him grow up at last.”
The movie became a surprising hit, leading to a sequel in 2015. The films have a rather different vibe to the show, the former going for more crude comedy and the latter a more sitcom feel.
Speaking to Dexerto about the series, stars Max Burkholder and Giorgia Whigham made sure to note that the series was focusing on being a standalone project. As Whigham stated, “People ask oftentimes, “Do you have to watch the movies in order to get it?” Absolutely not. I think it is a stand alone event series, I think with all the new characters that are introduced, we wanted to really make it unique to us and we all created a family dynamic and I think that really shines through.”
Ted the Series is now available to stream in full on Peacock. Read more of our coverage of the show below:
