YMMV / Ted (2024)

• And You Thought It Would Fail: The Ted franchise had been dormant for close to 9 years after the first film's sequel, nevermind its mixed reception, and there was not much anticipation about revising a series years later that most thought had no reason to return beyond being a curious relic of the 2010s, let alone for a prequel. However, upon release, the show gained extremely unexpected positive word of mouth through scenes from the series going viral online for their comedy, and quickly became Peacock's most-watched series, as mentioned below, due to growing curiosity and genuine praise. Many called the TV series even better than the films themselves (wondering why the films weren't always like this) and Seth MacFarlane's best work in years, and caused renewed interest in Ted as a whole in early 2024, something nobody could've expected given how long since the original duology was released.
• Critical Dissonance: Reviews from critics generally formed the consensus that the series was average, par-for-the-course material that is to be expected from Seth Mcfarlane, albeit nothing particularly new or fresh. Audiences, on the other hand, loved the series, praising its risqué, raunchy humor as much better than the movies, to the point where it became the most viewed original series on Peacock.
• Crosses the Line Twice:
  • As expected from a Seth MacFarlane production, with some jokes playing hopscotch with the line and then stepping on it just for fun. One scene that sticks out is John mentioning how there once was an Indian classmate and expressing shame when he reveals that "they got him".
    Ted: What does that mean?
    John: I liked him, too.
    Ted: What do you mean "They got him"?
  • A teenager attempting suicide after a cruel prank is not funny. Attempting suicide by overdosing on Flintstones vitamins is hilarious.
  • Ted mentioning that his "mom" is an 11-year-old Chinese kid with arthritis, indicating that he was made in a sweatshop.
    John: How do you know that?
    Ted: Because she sewed a note in my leg that said she's never had a vegetable.
• Fandom Rivalry: The show's fanbase has a rivalry with another adult comedy that got released around the same time, Hazbin Hotel. This is mostly because of LS Mark bringing up such a comparison in his video "The Ted TV Show Is SHOCKINGLY Good". Fans of Ted love to point out Hazbin's writing flaws and overreliance on swearing as humor. Hazbin fans meanwhile criticize Ted for being an unoriginal sitcom banking off nostalgia, unlike Hazbin which is a fresh musical several years in the making.
• Harsher in Hindsight: Seeing Blaire stress about how much she wants John to break the "Bennett family curse" becomes harder to watch with the knowledge that his Manchild tendencies result in a divorce from his first partner and a slacker lifestyle.
• Heartwarming Moments: In Episode 6, Matty overcomes his prejudices and his affinity for his old foul-mouthed toy truck to sincerely make amends with Blaire and Sarah.
• Memetic Mutation:
  • Ted running.^ExplanationThe scene of Ted trying to act calm before suddenly running in a panic after being confronted by Blaire over giving John weed has quickly garnered meme status on Twitter in early 2024, with users posting numerous edits of the scene coupled with different sound effects and/or music to fit the scene.
  • "Yeah, but they got him." ^ExplanationA scene where John mentions his school had an Indian student the year before, only to vaguely mention "they" got him. Leading to a confused Ted asking for more clarification as to who "they" are. Fans have started using the scene to convey their frustrations regarding the handling of their favorite characters to people who don't know what they're talking about.
• Nightmare Fuel: The Reveal at the end of Episode 4. The middle-aged man that John hung out with wasn't Carol's son, but was in fact a complete stranger.
• Win Back the Crowd: The series serves as one to Ted 2, which wasn't as critically or commercially successful as the first film. By comparison, the series became Peacock's most-watched series in just three days.

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