Seth MacFarlane & Mark Wahlberg's 69% Rotten Tomatoes Comedy Is Bringing the Laughs to a New Streaming Home

Seth MacFarlane has continued to bring laughter to viewers at home since the turn of the century thanks to his animated series like Family Guy and American Dad. At the height of his popularity, however, he turned to the big screen with Ted, the first film in an ever-expanding franchise about a boy and his rude, crude, magical teddy bear. Released in 2012 with Mark Wahlberg starring opposite MacFarlane's titular talking toy, his directorial debut became an instant hit with a 69% score from critics on Rotten Tomatoes and a box office haul of $549.4 million. Prime Video is now set to ring in the New Year with the installment that started it all streaming on the service beginning on January 1.

Ted follows a grown-up John Bennett (Wahlberg), who is still living with his faithful teddy bear companion Ted (MacFarlane) whom he brought to life with a wish when he was a young boy. Now 35, he's struggling to grow up and move forward in his relationship with his girlfriend, spending time drinking, smoking, and generally blowing off responsibilities with Ted. The dream come true of having his childhood toy become his best friend is now a nightmare as he's stuck choosing between their lifelong bond and his romantic future, eventually derailing both. In the end, it comes down to the bear to help set John back on the right path.

Coming off of The Other Guys and The Fighter, Wahlberg was one of the biggest stars MacFarlane managed to land for Ted​​​​​, but he was far from the only one. The film also features one of the director's core Family Guy cast members, Mila Kunis, as John's girlfriend Lori, with others on board including Joel McHale, Giovanni Ribisi, Aedin Mincks, Patrick Warburton, Jessica Barth, Matt Walsh, and Laura Vandervoort. American Dad favorite Patrick Stewart also took part as the film's narrator. In addition to starring and directing, MacFarlane also penned the original story with help from Alec Sulkin and Wellesley Wild for the screenplay.

'Ted' Still Has a Bright Future Ahead

After a strong box-office performance and awards consideration, including an Oscar nomination for the song "Everybody Needs a Best Friend" and a Best Comedy nomination at the Critics Choice Awards, MacFarlane's debut earned a sequel in 2015 with even more star power. Morgan Freeman and Amanda Seyfried play key roles in the story, which is all about Ted fighting for his civil rights so he can adopt a child with his now-wife Tami-Lynn (Jessica Barth). The success of the two films eventually paved the way for a Ted prequel series which finally debuted earlier this year on Peacock. MacFarlane created the show and reprised his role as Ted, while Max Burkholder stepped in as a 16-year-old John. Their high school antics have only continued the franchise's run of success, as the series became the most-watched Peacock original within just three days and earned a renewal for Season 2 that ensures we haven't seen anywhere near the last of the rude teddy bear.

Ted arrives on Prime Video on January 1. Stay tuned here at Collider for more updates on the biggest titles coming to and leaving streaming.

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