Television
Jun.10, 2021
PEACOCK ORDERS “TED” STRAIGHT TO SERIES
- Peacock has announced a straight-to-series order for “Ted,” from UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group, and MRC Television.
- The series is based on the hit Universal Pictures and MRC Film’s “Ted,” the highest grossing original R-rated comedy of all time (not a sequel or based on other IP). Collectively “Ted” and “Ted 2” grossed more than $750 million worldwide.
- MacFarlane is in negotiations to reprise the voice of the iconic and lovable foul-mouthed teddy bear.
- The live-action series, based on Seth MacFarlane’s feature films released by Universal Pictures with MRC Film, will be executive produced by MacFarlane and Erica Huggins for Fuzzy Door.
- “Seth has a superpower of creating fandoms and ‘Ted’ is a shining example of his ability to create beloved characters that we can’t get enough of,” said Susan Rovner, Chairman, Entertainment Content, NBCUniversal Television and Streaming. “We are so lucky to bring this project to Peacock viewers who will have an opportunity to see their favorite foul-mouthed teddy bear once again.”
- “Over the years, Seth has captured audiences with his comedic genius and this reimagination of ‘Ted’ continues that legacy,” said Beatrice Springborn, President, UCP. “The Peacock series will have the same wish fulfillment and fun of the classic movies, while delving more into the adventures and backstory of the beloved foul-mouthed teddy bear and his family.”
- “MRC is excited to partner with UCP and Peacock as we expand the world of ‘Ted,’ which originated in our film group, into the television space. We have a long relationship with Seth and cannot wait to bring his vision to the many fans around the globe as well as new audiences,” said MRC Television President Elise Henderson.
- This is the second series order since MacFarlane and Fuzzy Door signed an overall development deal with UCP in 2020. Earlier this year, Peacock announced a series order of “The End is Nye” hosted by Bill Nye. The series is produced by Universal Television Alternative Studio and UCP, divisions of Universal Studio Group, and Fuzzy Door.
- MacFarlane and Fuzzy Door are repped by CAA, Jackoway Austen and Joy Fehily.
- Universal Content Productions (UCP), a division of Universal Studio Group, is a best-in-class content studio that leverages the power and scale of NBCUniversal while collaborating with visionary storytellers. The studio is responsible for commercially successful and critically acclaimed scripted programming, including “The Umbrella Academy,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “Mr. Robot,” “The Act,” “Monk,” “Homecoming,” “The Sinner,” “Suits,” “Dirty John” and “Psych.” Upcoming titles include “Dr. Death” starring Joshua Jackson, Alec Baldwin and Christian Slater, and “Gaslit” starring Julia Roberts and Sean Penn.
- MRC Television is a leading independent studio, which sources, finances, develops, and produces shows in partnership with the industry’s foremost creative artists. To date, the studio’s series have been nominated for 94 Emmy® Awards and 18 Golden Globe® Awards. The current slate includes “Ozark,” from Chris Mundy and starring Jason Bateman, Laura Linney and Julia Garner, on Netflix; “The Great,” from Tony McNamara, starring Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult, on Hulu; “The Shrink Next Door,” starring Will Ferrell and Paul Rudd and from director Michael Showalter and writer Georgia Pritchett for Apple TV+; “The Terminal List,” for which Chris Pratt stars and executive produces alongside director Antoine Fuqua and writer David DiGilio, with Amazon Studios; “Shining Girls,” starring Elisabeth Moss and produced with Appian Way and Love & Squalor Pictures for Apple TV+; the Rian Johnson series “Poker Face,” with T-Street and starring Natasha Lyonne for Peacock; and “Hello Tomorrrow!” starring Billy Crudup, from creators Amit Bhalla and Lucas Jansen and director Jonathan Entwistle for Apple TV+. MRC Television’s previous series include “House of Cards'' and “Counterpart,” among others. For additional information, visit www.mrcentertainment.com.
- Led by writer, director and producer Seth MacFarlane and President Erica Huggins, Fuzzy Door is the production company behind many of today’s most successful television and film projects. The company is committed to weaving a socially conscious and intellectually curious thread through projects to bring fearless, innovative and bold stories to life while maintaining their trademark sense of humor and wonder. Currently, Fuzzy Door produces the Hulu space adventure series, “The Orville,” the beloved and Emmy award-winning animated series, “Family Guy,” and the fan-favorite series, “American Dad!,” the latter two having recently premiered its 350th and 300th milestone episodes, respectively. The company strategically built on the success 1980’s “Cosmos” by producing the award-winning “Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey,” which garnered 13 Emmy nominations and became a global event seen by more than 135 million people, and the most recent installment, “Cosmos: Possible Worlds,” available on Disney+. Last year, MacFarlane and Fuzzy Door signed an impressive, multi-year television deal with Universal Studio Group. Under the pact, the company is developing “The Winds of War” limited series based on Pulitzer Prize winner Herman Wouk’s acclaimed American War novels; an Untitled Little Rock Nine series about Carlotta Walls LaNier, one of the first black students to attend Arkansas’ all-white Central High; a TV revival of the classic 1977 adventure comedy film “Smokey and the Bandit;” TV adaptations of the dystopian sci-fi short film “Skywatch” and Elan Mastai’s award-winning novel “All Our Wrong Todays,” both as original series for Peacock; and the unscripted series “Micronations,” the company’s first nonfiction effort under its new deal. Additionally, Fuzzy Door is producing a new animated take on Norman Lear’s classic sitcom “Good Times” as a series for Netflix. On the film side, Fuzzy Door has created a number of commercially successful comedies such as TED, TED 2 and A MILLION WAYS TO DIE IN THE WEST, which have collectively grossed more than $800 million at the worldwide box office. Last Fall, the company released Hulu’s BOOKS OF BLOOD, the feature film based on Clive Barker’s acclaimed horror anthology of the same name. Fuzzy Door is currently developing Universal’s female ensemble comedy FAIRY TALE ENDING and a reimagined modern version of REVENGE OF THE NERDS for 20th Century Studios.