Ted: Season One Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.0
Overall		4.0

Ted: Season One Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Justin Dekker September 13, 2024

Based on the 2012 box office hit Ted (2012) which stared Mark Wahlberg, the foul-mouthed stuffed bear brought to life returns in the Peacock series 'Ted' which makes its Blu-ray debut courtesy of Universal. Set in 1993, with John, played by Max Burkholder who, as a 16-year-old is still in high school, this season charts their early days together as Ted is forced to enroll in school alongside his human best friend. All seven episodes of the first season are included in this two-disc set which sadly is absent any supplemental material. Neither a slipcover nor a Digital Code is included.

Brought to life by young John's wish on a shooting star in the 1980s, the teddy bear come-to-life embarked on a surprising movie career that, once the novelty wore off, ended about as quickly as it began. Since the demise of that career, he's been living with the Bennett family in Boston; 16- year- old John (Max Burkholder, Tv's Parenthood), father Matty (Scott Grimes, The Orville), mother Susan (Alanna Ubach, Euphoria), and college-aged cousin Blair (Giorgia Whigham, TV's The Punisher). One day, while the family is away, busy with the day- to-day rigors of normal life such as school, work, and running errands, Ted's boredom gets the better of him, and after mixing a mundane and a dangerous item in a manner most ill-advised, Ted meets with a disaster that will change his (and John's) life forever. The punishment for his transgression? He must immediately enroll in high school with John, where perhaps he'll learn a thing or two.

Over the course of the short seven-episode season, Ted: Season One tackles a number of topics that are more than appropriate and relevant for a series focused on the trials and tribulations of a pair of high schoolers. Not surprisingly, the patently uncool John and his talking bear sidekick deal with some rather consistent and aggressive bullying. The pair deal with physical and verbal abuse from the massive and humorless Clive who takes obvious delight in tormenting the misfits and the different. Due to the writing, it's as funny as it is sad to watch the pair endure the daily abuse until, leveraging the tactics of a comedy duo of that era, the two are able to favorably impact the situation.

The most nostalgic episode of the season has to be Ejectile Dysfunction if for no other reason than the amount of time Ted and John spend in the local video store. Given the innumerable hours of my youth spent combing the racks for low-budget horror titles I hadn't seen or needed to see again, Hong Kong actioners, or any of a number of foreign films my friends and I had never even heard of in those days before the internet, it was a treat to see this environment re-created in such detail. Shelf after shelf displays a cornucopia of films on VHS ready to rent, with titles as diverse as Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot and a copy of one of the legendary Jeremy Brett's outings as Sherlock Holmes. Posters for Dr. Giggles White Palace, and one of the Back to the Future films are also visible among others too numerous to list. However, as one would expect, based on the tone and tenor of the show it quickly becomes obvious that it's not such traditional fare that the pair are after. No, what they are seeking lies beyond the swinging doors beneath a sign reading "Adults Only". John and Ted are looking to rent a porno. Most of the antics of the pair are dedicated to that quest and its unintended aftermath.

It should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with Seth MacFarlane's work, who lends his voice to Ted, and the film from which the concept for the series is derived, that, despite the age of the two primary characters, the series is most definitely also "Adults Only" fare. The use of profanity is relatively constant and translates across almost all settings. Only the scenes set in church are a safe haven from free-flowing vulgarities. John's mother Susan is the lone character who refrains from using rough language. Even after goading from Ted, "shoot" is the strongest word she'll utter. Sexual topics are also frequently discussed in very frank terms, with a high school sex ed class, the rented porno, and John's intent to rid himself of his pesky virginity all providing ample grist for that mill. It doesn't take long for John and Ted become frequent pot smokers. Once it's introduced to the series, the pair's marijuana use is the basis for several scenes with different emotional resonance and intent in each episode.

Racist language and attitudes are also frequently found, primarily spewing from the mouths of Ted and Matty. As the series progressed, I began to see Matty as an amalgam of sorts of the good-natured but incompetently bumbling and juvenile Homer J. Simpson and the domineering, misogynistic, curmudgeonly Archie Bunker from the iconic The Simpsons and All in the Family respectively. Matty is just as ignorant, illogically frightened, and accident-prone as Bart's dad, with Susan providing Marge-like care, attention, and feedback to her idiot man-child husband. His embracing of racist stereotypes, his free use of racist terms and his overall intolerance echo traits I've personally not seen on television since Norman Lear's landmark series. Though lacking a trademark chair from which to rule his household, his attitudes and language are very similar to those portrayed and used by Carrol O'Connor's character some fifty years prior. While Matty Bennet is also capable of demonstrating some of Archie's at time well-hidden heart, neither the series nor the characters seek to tackle and comment on the substantive issues of the day in a manner consistent with All in the Family's best episodes. Ted: Season One aims to keep things light and breezy at all times.

Is it entertaining? For all of its vulgarity, for all of its cringe-worthy moments, for all of its willingness to offend absolutely anyone and everyone, I dare say it is. Many, many times I found myself laughing at things that were completely bizarre, wrong, and ridiculous - Matty's story of his time in Vietnam is a prime example. Not every joke seeks to offend, but most seem designed to push a button or two and to occasionally comment on the state of our modern world from the vantage point of the past. After two feature films, I wasn't sure that there was enough material left to mine to support a series. But perhaps in taking some inspiration from the similarly button-pushing and vulgar South Park whose school-aged protagonists have been entertaining us with their inappropriate adventures for decades, taking the concept back in time and dropping Ted and John into the volatile and diverse world that is high school similarly provides plenty of room for the series to roam and a great many coming-of-age topics to explore. And viewers well-versed in South Park should be more than accustomed to the debauchery, delinquency, and all-out assault on good taste that takes place in each episode. And no doubt they'll be anxiously awaiting Ted's second season just as I am.

Ted: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Universal has provided Ted: Season One with a very sharp looking MPEG-4 AVC encoded 1080p transfer. Colors are nicely saturated and realistic providing appropriate vibrancy to the series' world of 1993. Primaries represent with a decided pop as evidenced, for example in the costumes at the Halloween party and the downtown environment. There is an almost palpable tactile presence to fabrics like the Bennett family's couch upholstery and Blair's chunky knit sweaters. Ted's fur likewise looks realistic. Individual strands of his fur are discernable with a nice mix of fluffy and matted fibers, and discernably longer fur on his body than on his muzzle. The same holds true with the human cast members. Facial details like Matty's ginger stubble and Blair's period-accurate make-up are also open for inspection. Skin tones are healthy and true across the board. Exterior mid- and long-range shots can sometimes lack the precise environmental particulars visible in set-bound locations like the school interiors. Mr. George's classroom, for instance, is loaded with well-defined books, posters, and knick-knacks, where even the fake wood grain on the desks is easy to spot.

Ted: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Ted: Season One's English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is rock solid. As the comedy is largely dialogue-driven it is not much of a surprise that the track is front and center focused. Dialogue is crisp, cleanly reproduced, and properly prioritized under all circumstances. If a line is missed, it will most certainly be due the the laughter of the viewer and not any fault or inadequacy of the track. The track shines brightest when it allows music to dominate, with War's Low Rider being a sonic highlight of the season. While the bass here isn't necessarily booming, it provides appropriate depth to this classic tune and others that populate the soundtrack. Surrounds are most effectively and noticeably leveraged in these moments as well. The bass presence also lends some authority to sound effects like gunshots and car crashes used in the series, infrequent though they may be. Though not designed to impress, it does a good job with what it needs to do.

Ted: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Ted: Season One is not accessorized with any supplemental material, although there is a handy episode summary printed on the interior art. It's located under Disc Two.

Ted: Season One Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Definitely not something to view with young children around, and perhaps not something to watch with your parents either, each episode of Ted: Season One is as entertaining as it is vulgar and offensive - and it's definitely very vulgar and offensive. While there isn't much by way of character development, the series succeeds in generating laughs as it pokes and prods at our past and our present, taboos, hang-ups, and things frequently best left unsaid. Bold and brash, Ted: Season One proceeds into every topic without guard rails, and no matter the subject, their actions, or their words, Ted and John never lose the viewer's goodwill or impede our willingness to tag along and find out what they'll do next. The core cast, guest stars like Tim Russ's doctor and Penny Johnson Jerald's Principal, in addition to the writing, all conspire to make Ted: Season One highly recommended.