NBC’s Peacock streaming service launched in 2020. It initially only aired shows from the network. However, like many streaming services, it has turned to original content in recent years. Beloved shows Days of Our Lives and Law & Order: Organized Crime made the permanent move from traditional television to Peacock.
But one popular original series won’t return for another season due to financial strain. Keep reading for more on the surprising decision and the thoughts of the show’s creator.
Peacock Drops Popular Show Amid Financial Strain
The rising cost of production has had a devastating impact on television and movies. More networks are turning to reality television shows because they’re cheaper to produce. Gone are the days of 20+ episodes per season for television shows. Now, viewers are lucky if they get ten episodes per season.
The popular movie franchise Ted jumped from the big screen to the small screen after two successful movies. The movies starred Mark Wahlberg as John Bennett and his childhood best friend, Ted the foul-mouthed teddy bear. The prequel tells the story of teenage John and Ted. The movies and show combined live-action and CGI, which may be outside Peacock’s budget.
Ted creator Seth MacFarlane (The Family Guy) opened up to TheWrap about why the show likely won’t return for a third season. It all comes down to money. “What I kept hearing [from Peacock and Universal] was, ‘Listen, the show is really expensive to produce and there’s no way to do it at a lower cost.’”
With the show’s future in doubt, Seth MacFarlane, who also voices Ted, revealed that he wrote the Season 2 finale as if it were the last episode of the series. I wrote the last scene with Max [Burkholder] walking into a gym, presumably coming out as Mark Wahlberg in the first Ted film.”
Peacock has yet to officially cancel the show. Seth MacFarlane admitted he may have messed up the ending. “So [showrunners] Brad Walsh and Paul Corrigan and I kind of painted ourselves into a corner. Is there a way to do it? There’s always a way to do anything. But at the moment, it might take some narrative acrobatics.” He went on to say that there’s “no plan” for a Season 3 of the popular animated series.
More Ted To Come Despite Cancellation
The Ted prequel may be done, but this isn’t the last viewers will see of the beloved, crude bear. Another series is reportedly in development with Mark Wahlberg attached to lend his voice to the animated series. The new series would reportedly directly follow the Ted 2 movie.
The Peacock prequel came under fire after Seth MacFarlane used AI to create a scene featuring former President Bill Clinton. The use of AI in the entertainment industry is a hot topic, with many worried that it will put a lot of people out of jobs.
Stay tuned for an official word from Peacock on the fate of Ted.
Jennifer Havener grew up in a small town in Upstate New York. She earned her B.A in Writing & Literature from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. She always knew watching reality TV shows and soap operas, particularly ‘Days of Our Lives’, would come in handy someday. When she’s not writing, she’s playing with her dogs, Lola and Ruger
