I will be the first to admit that I wasn’t sure whether we needed a TV show based on the Ted movies (my reviews for both films can be found here and here). And I write this as someone up-to-date with Family Guy (1999 – ?) and American Dad (2005 – ?), so you can tell I enjoy me some Seth MacFarlane and his style of humour. But for some reason, I couldn’t see this being anything else but an “ok” show. Well, after this show came out and received pretty decent reviews, I had to check it out to see how wrong I was. I am glad to say I was very wrong.
Yes, Ted won’t surprise you with the humour much (it is very Seth MacFarlane), so it is up to you how much you gravitate towards this sometimes political, many times over-the-top, often pushing many boundaries, humour. And as I said above, I like Seth’s humour, so I had a blast, but that much I expected and wasn’t wrong about. What I didn’t expect was how, in just seven episodes, Seth created a family unit that doesn’t just feel like fodder for jokes.
You might think the biggest difference between this show and his other shows is the fact that Ted is live-action, and the others are animated. In reality, that isn’t the biggest difference, as we still have many jokes/scenes that feel very absurd, as if pulled from an animated show. The actual difference is that this family might seem like another bunch of stereotypes Seth can bounce jokes off, but in reality, you get to know and understand them all throughout this show.
Max Burkholder, who had to play a younger version of Mark Wahlberg as this show takes us back to the 90s after all the hype around this talking bear died out, was a great choice. I wasn’t sold on him from the first minute, I won’t lie; however, he turned me into a fan, as he isn’t just a one-dimensional character. He portrays John (while being 24 at the time of shooting) as your stereotypical teenager of that era before the Internet, who is full of dreams and aspirations, wanting to chill with his best friend and possibly watch some porn. You know, the usual stuff. But in the later episodes, we see some growth; we can see a personality and that he isn’t just a dumb stoner.
The same can be said about his parents, played by Alanna Ubach and Scott Grimes, who start one way where you think: “I know what these people are about.”, only for them to surprise you throughout the show. No matter if it’s a mom who tries to be a substitute teacher and discovers what she actually likes or whether it’s a dad whose (maybe?) gay truck convinces him about the errors of his ways. That sentence doesn’t make sense, you say? Just watch the show; it will be much clearer after.
Who I thought stole this show and managed to squeeze the most out of her role was Giorgia Whigham. Her Blaire could have easily become another “shut up, Meg!” punchline character, but it didn’t, and Giorgia positioned herself as the heart of this show. Her character goes through some trials, and sometimes she can be too much, but I was always rooting for her. And the more we get to know her throughout this show, the more you find yourself rooting for her.
Most importantly, they all complement each other so well. They all contributed to my enjoyment and biggest surprise of Ted, how much I cared about this quirky family. The thing is, when you watch a Seth MacFarlane show, you expect a crude, political, boundary-pushing humour. But when comes to writing full-rounded characters, that was something he didn’t have to do that much, given most of his shows are animated sitcoms that are, more often than not, composed of chaotic humour with little to no stakes. And despite Ted having the same style of humour (although a little bit less chaotic), the family unit, composed of actual characters rather than caricatures, helps to ground everything. Towards the end, I found myself laughing less and being invested more in the story about this one family, who happens to have a talking teddy bear living with them.
I hope this will come back for at least one or two more seasons, and that is a sentence I didn’t think I would write in my review of a Ted show. Right now, my only problem with the show is that we didn’t get enough episodes, and I hoped to get more. As long as everyone from the core family (plus Seth, of course) would be on board, I would watch a few more seasons. Especially if Seth doesn’t get wild and will keep this show grounded, because as much as I like his chaotic humour, sometimes, less is more. And Ted seems to have found that line, at least this first season.
Overall, Ted was a delightful surprise on every level for me. I expected to laugh, but I didn’t expect that by the time the first season finished, I would want more episodes. Sure, part of it was the great writing, but honestly, this show’s casting is superb by casting people who feel real. You believe they are a family, and as the series progresses, you find yourself rooting for them despite some of their flaws. I hope we will get a few more seasons, but even if that won’t happen, Ted is worth checking out. I don’t think it’s a heresy to write that this show is better than the movies.
That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!
Until next time,
Luke