Whenever I decide to watch TV these days, what I actually end up doing is just opening Peacock — NBC’s fast-growing streamer that’s home to everything from live sports to beloved franchises like The Office and Parks and Recreation, as well as originals like Seth MacFarlane’s Ted.
The latter is Peacock’s record-breaking prequel series to the movie franchise of the same name, which ended up being a huge hit with viewers around the world. And because of that, Peacock has just announced that the show, which still has a 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, is coming back for a second season.
MacFarlane is a writer, director, executive producer, and co-showrunner for the prequel series, which is set in 1993 when Ted’s moment of fame has passed. He’s back home now, living in Framingham, Mass., with his best friend — 16-year-old John Bennett, played by Max Burkholder — as well as John’s parents, Matty and Susan (Scott Grimes and Alanna Ubach) and cousin Blaire (Giorgia Whigham).
The series has been called everything from “the internet’s new favorite show” (The Daily Beast) to “one of the best TV adaptations of a movie ever” (SlashFilm), and it’s filled not only with laughs but tons of heart and delightful performances.
Season 1 hit Peacock back in January, and it went on to become the streamer’s most-watched original title to date. It was also the #1 original streaming comedy in the US for more than two consecutive months, according to Nielsen data.
“Each generation develops its own unique artistic style, its own way of seeing the world,” executive producers MacFarlane, Paul Corrigan, and Brad Walsh said in a note released to the press about the show back when it debuted.
“In the twenties, it was the subversive musical phrasings of jazz. In the fifties, it was the bold brushwork of the abstract expressionists. Our generation’s unique art is streaming content based on previously successful intellectual property. In that proud tradition, we humbly give you Ted.”