A butt puppet, abortion clinic violence, prison tattoos, and more — Seth MacFarlane picks his 5 favorite scenes in “Ted” season 2

Gerrad HallMon, May 18, 2026 at 2:00 PM UTC

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Seth MacFarlane; 'Ted'
Credit: Getty; PeacockKey Points -

Ted star and creator Seth MacFarlane shares his five favorite scenes from season 2.

The Peacock series is a prequel to the 2012 movie and its 2015 sequel.

Ted also stars Max Burkholder, Scott Grimes, Alanna Ubach, and Giorgia Whigham.

Can a bear truly be tamed?

In short, no — that's why he's such great comedic fodder for the Peacock series Ted, a prequel series to the 2012 movie and its 2015 sequel about the foul-mouthed, wished-to-life stuffed animal created and voiced by Seth MacFarlane.

For the second season of the show, which debuted in March, it's 1994, and Ted and his human friend John (Max Burkholder) are now seniors in high school, where the bad news bear continues to lure John into fun (sure) but compromising and trouble-making situations.

At home, he's at the mercy of John's dad, Matty (Scott Grimes), who tries to run a tight ship (the verdict is out on his success rate). Then there's John's mom, Susan (Alanna Ubach), and his cousin, Blaire (Giorgia Whigham), who escaped her own dysfunctional family and lives with her relatives while attending nearby Emerson College.

Max Burkholder as John, and Ted, voiced by Seth MacFarlane, on 'Ted'
Credit: Peacock

In addition to starring as Ted, MacFarlane also serves as writer, director of all episodes, and co-showrunner (along with Paul Corrigan and Brad Walsh) — all while continuing to executive produce and voice characters on his other creations, the long-running Fox animated series American Dad and Family Guy.

Though, he admits, the visual-effects-heavy Ted occupies much of his time.

"I really enjoy the excitement and work of being on the set of Ted," he tells Entertainment Weekly of the creative fulfillment he gets from the comedy series. "But I also enjoy strolling into Family Guy for ten minutes a few times a year and getting all the credit."

After the Ted movies grossed more than $765 million worldwide, expanding that world was a bit of a no-brainer. After the debut of the series in January 2024, it broke records on Peacock, becoming the streamer's most-watched original title — and, per Nielsen, was the No. 1 original streaming comedy in the U.S. more than two months in a row.

Credit for that? A lot can be given to the show's brand of humor — classic MacFarlane in so many ways, from the crazy shenanigans to (what some might consider) vulgar language and absurd sight gags and antics.

Ted, voiced by Seth MacFarlane, on 'Ted'
Credit: Peacock

But he's tipping his hat to his costars.

"I think the cast topped themselves in all respects and delivered unbelievable comedy in season 2," he says. "And Peacock agrees, which is why you can find the show by scrolling 80 percent down in the app and then all the way to the right."

Check out more from EW's The Awardist, featuring exclusive interviews, analysis, and our podcast diving into all the highlights from the year's best in TV, movies, and more.

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Below, MacFarlane exclusively shares with EW his five favorite scenes from the second season — and check out clips from each.

Episode 201, "Talk Dirty to Me"

During a visit to his brother Matty's house, Blaire's dad Bernie (Scott Michael Campbell) torments his brother — and eventually his daughter.

"Matty’s butt being used as a puppet. It’s always a great day when the intimacy coordinator runs off set crying."

Episode 203, "Dungeons & Dealers"

Blaire runs out of weed, so naturally, she turns to Ted and John, who are also out. So they turn to John's classmate, who agrees to help only if they will help him by competing in a Dungeons & Dragons quest (mom and dad join in for some family time, unaware of the reason the others are playing). The gameplay transports the episode into the world of the game, which kicks off at a tavern where the family is decked out in traditional medieval D&D costumes.

"Matty lands in the Dungeons & Dragons world. His line, 'I already fucking hate this' succinctly encapsulates how I feel about 90 percent of what I’m asked to do in life." [EDITOR'S NOTE: Our most sincere thanks to MacFarlane for fulfilling this article request that he, perhaps, f---ing hated doing.]

Episode 205, "Sword in the Stoned"

John and Ted audition for the school's production of Camelot in their attempt to beef up their college résumés.

"Ted performs the Gummi Bears theme song. The writer’s assistant was about to Google it and I said, 'No need. I can perform it from memory.' Have you ever been expecting applause, then received complete silence instead?"

Episode 206, "Roe v. Weed"

Blaire learns she is pregnant and has an abortion. When John and Ted show up at the clinic (after robbing the school's vending machines for money to help her pay for the procedure), things turn violent between them and protestors outside the clinic.

"John and Ted are beat up as Blaire exits the abortion clinic. I just really enjoyed how this episode felt like a cross between Euphoria and Bugs Bunny."

Episode 207, "Susan Is the New Black"

Susan ends up in prison after taking the fall for John and Ted's weed that cops find in her car after pulling her over. In prison, the other incarcerated women (one named Bitch Killer) aren't her biggest fan at first, but she wins them over with her kindness, cooking for them, and teaching them how to read, and more.

"Bitch Killer reveals her tattoo of Susan. I genuinely teared up while watching this. That was when they told me they no longer allow alcohol in the edit bay."

All episodes of Ted are available to stream on Peacock.

on Entertainment Weekly

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”