The foul-mouthed, pot-smoking teddy bear is coming back. After the first season of Ted became one of Peacock’s biggest original hits ever (topping the Nielsen charts for weeks), fans have been hungry for any scrap of news about season 2. Here’s everything we know so far.
Release Date: When Will Ted Season 2 Drop?
No official premiere date has landed yet, but the signs point to early 2026.
Filming wrapped in Boston and the surrounding areas by mid-November 2025. Seth MacFarlane himself posted a wrap photo on Instagram with the caption “That’s a wrap on Season 2, you magnificent bastards.” Peacock tends to move fast with its big comedies — season 1 filmed from late 2022 into early 2023 and dropped in January 2024 — so a 10–12 month post-production window feels realistic.
Most insiders and betting sites currently lean toward a December 2025 or January 2026 launch, perfectly timed for the post-holiday binge window that worked wonders for the first season.
Cast: Who’s Definitely Returning?
Pretty much the whole gang is back:
- Seth MacFarlane as the voice and motion-capture for Ted
- Max Burkholder as John Bennett (now in his late teens in 1993–94)
- Alanna Ubach as Susan Bennett
- Scott Grimes as Matty Bennett
- Giorgia Whigham as Blaire Bennett (John’s cousin who became a fan favorite in season 1)
Guest stars and recurring players from season 1 are also expected to pop up again, though nothing official has dropped yet.
New Cast Members and Rumours
The biggest casting buzz surrounds Ian McKellen. Multiple trade reports say the legendary actor has signed on for a major multi-episode arc as the strict, old-school headmaster of John’s high school. Fans are already losing their minds imagining Sir Ian trading barbs with a crude teddy bear.
A couple of 90s-nostalgia cameos are apparently in the works too, but Peacock and the producers are keeping those names locked down tight for now.
Plot: What’s Going to Happen in Season 2?
The show stays in the 1990s. Season 2 picks up shortly after the events of season 1, with John now navigating sophomore year of high school in 1993–1994. Expect plenty of Clinton-era references, grunge soundtracks, Tamagotchis, and Blockbuster nights.
Key story threads floating around from set leaks and cast interviews:
- John’s first serious girlfriend drama (and Ted’s extremely unhelpful “wingman” advice)
- Blaire heading off to college and the family adjusting to her absence
- More of Ted’s get-rich-quick schemes that inevitably blow up spectacularly
- A deeper dive into Matty Bennett’s past (Scott Grimes teased “some dark Vietnam flashbacks that even Ted can’t joke away”)
- The return of the “wish” mythology — apparently the original wish that brought Ted to life still has consequences nobody saw coming
Seth MacFarlane has promised the new season gets “a little darker and more emotional” while still delivering the same raunchy, R-rated laughs.
