The Corner Penthouse

Universal Pictures recently released the Ted: Season 1 Blu-ray. Read on to find out more about it...

[ SYNOPSIS ]

An irreverent comedy series about Bostonian teenager John Bennett (Max Burkholder) and his best friend and forever "thunder buddy", the foul-mouthed stuffed bear, Ted (voice of Seth MacFarlane). Set in 1993, after his moment of fame has passed, Ted is forced to enroll in high school with his best pal John, experiencing the highs and lows of teenage life... one bong hit at a time. While Ted may not be the best influence on John, when it comes down to it, he is always willing to go out on a limb to help his friend and his family.

[ EPISODES ]

The two-disc set includes all 7 episodes that were released on the Peacock streaming service on January 10, 2024. An episode summary is printed on the interior case art under Disc 2.


[ SPECIFICATIONS ]

The show is presented in a 1.78:1 aspect ratio. The show is Not Rated, but if it were, it would be rated R for language and drug use. Audio languages include English. Subtitle languages include English SDH.

[ SPECIAL FEATURES ]

There are no special features.

[ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ]

No digital copy code voucher is included in the standard two-disc blue Blu-ray case.

[ NOTES ]

Ted: Season 1 is available on Blu-ray and DVD. The two theatrical movies are available together on Blu-ray and DVD. Having now seen both films and the series, despite all featuring the foul-mouthed Ted, they are each quite different from each other; at least when seen one after another. Being the original in the series, Ted (2012), is the freshest of the three and is a pretty standard rom-com masquerading as a raunchy comedy. Ted 2 (2015) is a major step down, undoing the plot of the first film, while recycling many jokes from it. It seems to exist solely as a place to insert random cameo appearances that have no bearing on the plot, such as an extended subplot about Tom Brady and a pointless joke involving Liam Neeson. It also features illogical plot points involving how sperm banks and courts operate. I will admit that the New York Comic-Con scene at the end was quite a bit of fun.

That brings us to Ted, the 2024 series, which is a prequel to the two theatrical films showing Mark Wahlberg's character as a teenager. In short, the series is an All in the Family ripoff, with Scott Grimes' Matty Bennett clearly modeled after Archie Bunker, Alanna Ubach's Susan Bennett channeling Edith Bunker, and Giorgia Whigham's Blaire Bennett as an amalgam of Gloria and Mike. Although set in 1993, the dialog reeks of being written in 2023. While political correctness was a thing back then, no one spoke with "woke rhetoric" like Blaire does. This is the one aspect of the series that completely ruins it. I'm taken out of the show nearly everytime that Blaire opens her mouth.

Although the series repeats some bits from the theatrical films, it doesn't seem to fit in, continuity-wise, with them. There is no indication in either of the two theatrical films that John has an older sister (Blaire), and both of his parents in a 1986 scene (only seven years before the series is set) were played by two different actors (Ralph Garman and Alex Borstein in the first film). Watching those two films never gave me the impression that John spent his teen years as depicted in this series. Of course, when Seth and company were writing those films, they never planned that there would be a prequel series a decade later.

The Ted series isn't all bad. When it's not trying to cram a "woke agenda" down viewers throats, it can be obscenely delightful. Alanna Ubach is charming as the Edith-like character; Giorgia Whigham is quite easy on the eyes (and she has such pretty ones); there are some funny jokes here and there; and it's always nice to see the Universal Studio Hollywood's Courthouse Square (as the exterior of John's school), though it's nearly unrecognizable since its appearance in Back to the Future and Gremlins. That said, the series is a far cry from the first film. If you subscribe to the Peacock streaming service, I would suggest that you check it out there first before committing to a disc purchase.

This item has been provided by Universal Pictures for review on this site.