Seth MacFarlane’s foul-mouthed bear Ted is back with a message for his future self.
“Dear future Ted, it’s me, 1993 Ted. If you’re reading this, it means we got a new series on the most successful streaming platform ever,” he says, before his future self quips — “Eh, we got a new series.”
“Is the future amazing? I bet NASA sends people to the moon all the time,” 1993 Ted adds, to which his future self replies: “Moon colony? Negative. Unlimited porn in our pockets? Check.”
“Anyway, I can’t wait to see your world of flying cars, normal weather and new TV characters that don’t just rehash old stuff,” 1993 Ted concludes his letter, to which future Ted jokes: “Poor bum, had so much hope.”
The live-action prequel, slated to premiere Jan. 11, is based on the original “Ted” film and its sequel released by Universal Pictures with MRC Film.
It follows a 16-year-old John Bennett (Max Burkholder) who is living back home in Framingham, Massachusetts, with his parents, Matty and Susan (Scott Grimes and Alanna Ubach) and cousin Blaire (Giorgia Whigham).
The series is written and executive produced by MacFarlane, Paul Corrigan and Brad Walsh. The trio serve as coshowrunners. MacFarlane also directs.
“It takes place in the ’90s but is based on the timeless truth that being 16 sucks. The only thing that makes it tolerable is going through it with a friend, even if that friend is a has-been magical teddy bear with a foul mouth and a proclivity for drug use,” they said in a statement. “The three of us were teenagers in the ’90s and grew up in and around Boston, where the show takes place, so many of these stories are personal for us. We were able to put the characters through some of the same indignities and milestones we experienced back then. Also, we made stuff up (it’s a lot of pages to fill and real life is mostly boring).”
Other executive producers include Fuzzy Door Productions’ Erica Huggins, Alana Kleiman, Jason Clark and Aimee Carlson. Fuzzy Door, MRC and UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group, serve as producers.
Watch the teaser in the video above.
