Mark Wahlberg flexed his comedic chops in the Seth MacFarlane-directed comedy Ted. Wahlberg played the role of John Bennett, a guy whose best friend is a teddy bear who came to life in childhood. The friends have a hedonistic lifestyle and Bennett had to decide how to distance himself from Ted in order to grow up and live life as an adult.
Wahlberg returned for Ted 2 but did not reprise his role in the recently released Ted series on Peacock. The series created by MacFarlane sees a younger John Bennett navigating high school with Ted. Though the show has received positive responses, Seth MacFarlane seems to have put the onus of the show getting more seasons and a possible Mark Wahlberg return on the fans.
Why Didn’t Mark Wahlberg Return For Ted – The TV Show?
Mark Wahlberg was known for his action-hero persona in films like Pain & Gain, the Transformers franchise, and Spenser Confidential before he explored his comedic side in films like The Other Guys and Daddy’s Home. Among the comedy films that he was part of, the most successful was the Seth MacFarlane-directed comedy Ted.
Wahlberg starred as John Bennett in the film, while MacFarlane directed as well as performed as the voice of the foul-mouthed teddy bear, Ted. The film was a huge commercial success, earning over $549 million at the box office globally. It also prompted a sequel, which was moderately successful. While MacFarlane teased a Ted 3, the studio reportedly pivoted to a series for their Peacock streaming platform.
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However, instead of a sequel series, Seth MacFarlane and the team decided to explore the teenage of John Bennett and set it up as a prequel. Mark Wahlberg does not return to the role for obvious reasons and is instead played by Max Burkholder. MacFarlane told The Wrap why they went ahead with a prequel series instead of continuing with Wahlberg,
“The practical reason is Mark Wahlberg’s schedule. He’s got a million movies he’s working on at any given time, and so getting him to do a television series — his schedule just doesn’t permit that, let alone something that potentially goes for more than one season. It’s just tough.”
The show debuted on Peacock on January 11, 2024, and opened to positive reviews.
Ted’s Season 2 Might See Potential For A Mark Wahlberg Return
Seth MacFarlane is known for his unique brand of comedy that is filled with dark humor, irreverence, parody, and nonchalance. While his brand of comedy has worked with the Ted franchise and shows Family Guy and American Dad!, a live-action TV show with similar comedy was still a risk. However, the show seems to have gotten positive responses.
However, Seth MacFarlane puts the onus of a second season or more content on Ted on the audiences. He mentioned the reduced response for Ted 2 after the mammoth success of Ted and said that there would be more seasons if audiences had the appetite for it. He told The Wrap,
“I think we felt after ‘Ted 2’ that maybe the appetite for Ted in that forum was not quite as ravenous as it was after the first movie. So I don’t know, there would have to be a reason to do it. There has to be an audience for something like this. You don’t want to just keep rehashing the same character if no one’s watching.”
With positive acclaim all around, the show might just get a second season. The makers revealed that they had plans to explore the character of John Bennett as he went through his senior year at high school and college. Hence, there are chances of Mark Wahlberg making an appearance in some form or the other in the series.
