Seth MacFarlane can be a pretty divisive creator for many. On one hand, he can be lazy; often relying on recycled jokes and overly long gags or cutaways that don’t always play. But on the whole, at his core, I think he is a smart and funny creative – especially when he gives us his A-material. The first few seasons of FAMILY GUY are legendary for a reason. The first TED movie was also a well-regarded and massive hit. And THE ORVILLE has a large cult fan base for a good reason. And thankfully what we get in his first season of the TED prequel series plays more like those projects than his lesser material.
At the time of writing this, I’ve actually cycled through this very short event series (there are only 7 episodes) end to end at least 4 times. Not because it’s amazing as a whole or anything. But (as Ted may say) because when it works, it really f**king works!
Much like MacFarlane’s other material not all of it lands. But the stuff that does is so freaking funny, even if it’s a little bit wrong. And I found myself laughing aloud hard at a MacFarlane show for the first time since college. There’s a reason so many Gen Z kids are posting clips on TikTok. And it’s because it’s biting, fearless, and really genuinely funny in the most intentionally and unapologetically trashy way.
The shorter lengths of the episodes as well are also really perfect for the series built off gags, because that means the good-to-bad laugh ratio is a lot more favorable per episode. And there’s a lot less of a chance the MacFarlane humor will overstay its welcome (as so many projects of his have a tendency to do). As a result, every episode is enjoyable and breezy enough to encourage you to immediately carry on to the next one.
From a performance standpoint, newcomer Max Burkholder did a terrific job perfectly channeling Mark Wahlberg to become a young version of John Bennett. While Giorgia Whigham, playing a new franchise character, John’s cousin Blaire Bennett, and Alanna Ubach playing John’s mother Susan, are incredibly hilarious. It’s great to see MacFarlane and his staff creating really strong comedic roles for actresses when most other comedy franchises neglect to do the same with their female characters.
To break down ratings for each one:
“Just Say Yes” – 😊
“My Two Dads” – 🤩
“Ejectile Dysfunction” – 🤩
“Subways, Bicycles and Automobiles” – 🤩
“Desperately Seeking Susan” – 🤩
“Loud Night” – 🤮
“He’s Gotta Have It” – 🤩
I gotta admit. I did not expect to like this one as much, even though overall I do like the TED movies. From a narrative standpoint, it perfectly captures the consistent tone and spirit of those movies, making it a perfect installment to add to this franchise. But to my surprise, this is a lot stronger from a comedic standpoint than the previous TED film (And much better than the past 10 years of FAMILY GUY). And it actually made me even want a TED 3.
The only thing, however, keeping me from outright asking for a season 2 is just knowing that MacFarlane and Co. usually tend to burn brightest at the beginning and then fizzle out. Meaning if there’s a second season, I cannot imagine it hitting the same comedic heights as this one. That said, I still like these characters. I still like this franchise. And much as it surprises me to say 20 years after college, I still like Seth MacFarlane. May God have mercy on my soul for that.
All episodes of TED SEASON 1 are now streaming on Peacock.
