The Real Reason Mark Wahlberg Won't Appear In The Ted Series

While comedy fans anticipate the return of their favorite foul-mouthed teddy bear in the Peacock original series "Ted," another key face associated with the franchise will not be present this time. Mark Wahlberg, who starred in the two Ted movies as Ted's best friend, John Bennett, will not be alongside his cute and cuddly buddy for the show. 

The reason for this is a tale as old as time in Hollywood, as Seth MacFarlane, series creator and voice of Ted, told The Wrap. "The practical reason is Mark Wahlberg's schedule. He's got a million movies he's working on at any given time, and so getting him to do a television series — his schedule just doesn't permit that, let alone something that potentially goes for more than one season. It's just tough." As a result of Wahlberg's tight availability, the creative team reconstructed "Ted" as a prequel series that explores the duo's high school years.

Stepping up to play a 16-year-old John is actor Max Burkholder. Speaking to The Wrap, he admitted to admiring Wahlberg and wanted to make right by the performer, stating, "It was a little intimidating at first. But that went away pretty fast. It's all there in the writing. It's all in the comedy, and in the heart, and in the relationship with Ted and Blair and the rest of the family." Thankfully, Burkholder had more than optimism on his side when it came to approaching the role. 

Even if Max Burkholder's name doesn't ring an immediate bell, he's had a lengthy history working alongside Seth MacFarlane on various projects. He has provided several voices on MacFarlane's animated series such as "Family Guy," "American Dad!," and "The Cleveland Show" and starred in a Season 1 episode of "The Orville." While Burkholder didn't star in the Ted movies, he participated in a table read for the first installment as Robert, the villainous child later played by actor Aedin Mincks. 

So, when the time came to find a suitable performer who could embody Mark Wahlberg's character and deliver Seth MacFarlane's material, getting Burkholder on board was a no-brainer. But getting ready for the role required a different kind of prep that took some getting used to. Speaking on "Today," the actor shared what he and the rest of the cast underwent. "They sent us the [teddy] bears beforehand. They sent everybody in the cast a life-sized bear so we could get used to, 'Oh yeah, there he is.'" He added that the crew requested that the actors take their teddy bears around with them, resulting in Burkholder bringing his to locations such as bars and other social hangouts.

MacFarlane shared that the cast did this for three months, which helped save on costs in the long run. "It's mainly for eye line," he stated. "Because if you're an actor, you can't have anything there on set. It has to be empty space because if you have the stuffie there, you got to paint out the edges, and that's hugely expensive." Whether for cost-related reasons or not, Burkholder's dedication to his role should be a promising sign to fans.