Like the new Peacock show Ted? Then watch these 5 TV series and movies
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What comes to mind when you hear the name Ted? You might instantly consider the adorable yet vulgar sentient stuffed bear from the 2012 Seth MacFarlane movie of the same name (and its 2015 sequel Ted 2). Years later, these films are now joined by a prequel series of the same name, streaming on Peacock. Set in the ‘90s, it centers around the antics that Ted (voiced by MacFarlane) gets up to with John (Max Burkholder in the role played by Mark Wahlberg in the movies) when John is just coming of age. Presented like a wholesome sitcom, Ted the series is quite the opposite, with the raunchy and foul-mouthed teddy bear just as he is in the movies.
Fans of the movies Ted and Ted 2 will want to check out the new series. But if you’re also looking for other similarly vulgar comedies to watch, these five series and movies will be right up your alley. After that, check out additional options in five great comedies from the last five years that are worth watching.
Horrible Bosses (2011)
Jennifer Aniston shines as an against-type, nasty, sexually aggressive dentist in one of many ridiculous storylines in this movie. That’s just the tip of the iceberg with Horrible Bosses, a black comedy about three friends, Nick (Air‘s Jason Bateman), Dale (Charlie Day), and Kurt (Jason Sudeikis), who are tired of being bullied by their awful bosses (played by Aniston, Colin Farrell, and Kevin Spacey). They don’t just angrily quit their jobs, however, or take a printer to an open field to smash it like Peter in Office Space. They go a step further and decide to have their work superiors murdered. Surely, it can’t be that difficult? And it would eliminate the problem for all of them, once and for all.
The movie is pure, silly fun, just like Ted, complete with raunchy bits and sexual innuendo. The chemistry among the cast, which also includes Jamie Foxx, Julie Bowen, and Donald Sutherland, further makes this movie downright hilarious. The boys might not succeed in their plan (spoiler alert: there is a Horrible Bosses 2). Nonetheless, their feeble attempts to achieve their goal and the exaggerated heinousness of their bosses really make you wish they did.
Stream Horrible Bosses on TNT.
Bupkis (2023)
When it comes to crude, frat-boy humor, no one does it better than Pete Davidson. Bupkis, his first comedy drama series since leaving Saturday Night Live, depicts a fictionalized version of his real life. Drawing comparisons to Louie C.K.’s Louie and Curb Your Enthusiasm, Bupkis is much darker, more modern, and far more inappropriate. Storylines touch on mental health, family, career, dating, and the added challenge of dealing with being in the public eye.
Davidson isn’t alone: he is surrounded by friends and family, including a supporting cast that includes Edie Falco and Joe Pesci. There’s also a diverse list of guest stars through the first season: think everyone from Sebastian Stan to J.J. Abrams, Jane Curtin, Eli Manning, and Method Man. Bupkis has the same endearing qualities as Ted with just the right dose of inappropriate content as well.
Stream Bupkis on Peacock.
Weird Science (1985)
A cult classic movie, the boys in Weird Science don’t have a teddy bear that became real. They do one better. The stars align, and they somehow use a doll, a computer, and electrodes to create the real-life “perfect woman” who comes to life in their bedroom. Talk about every teenage boy’s dream! All of a sudden, these nerdy pubescent boys, played by Anthony Michael Hall and Ilan Mitchell-Smith, have a stunning woman (Kelly LeBrock) to boost their social profiles and keep the bullies at bay (and in awe).
One of many iconic John Hughes movies from the ‘80s, Weird Science is one of the more underrated, lower-profile films. But the movie will fit right in with fans of Ted, particularly the prequel series, given that both focus on the high school experience, social outcasts, and a special companion. Weird Science isn’t raunchy, but there’s sexual innuendo and laughs to be had.
Stream Weird Science on Starz.
Sausage Party (2016)
Raunchy comedies and Seth Rogen go together like peanut butter and jelly, so it’s no surprise that one of his movies makes this list. Sausage Party is even more inappropriate and suggestive than Ted, which is surprising given that it’s animated. An anthropomorphic sausage named (what else?) Frank (voiced by Rogen) is happily living his life in blissful ignorance in the grocery store. That is, until he learns what happens when food is purchased. To avoid the nightmare of being grilled on a barbecue and stuffed into some hungry human’s mouth, Frank rallies his friends to try and escape.
The talented voice cast includes Jonah Hill, Bridesmaids star Kristen Wiig, Bill Hader, Michael Cera, James Franco, Salma Hayek, Paul Rudd, and others. Together, they make deliciously profane dialogue come to life from talking sausages, condiments, and even a bun. There’s a villain, of course, and what else would it be but Douche (Nick Kroll)? If you thought Ted was bad, Sausage Party takes it to another level, also earning an R rating. A TV series based on the movie called Sausage Party: Foodtopia is set for release in 2024.
Stream Sausage Party on Netflix.
The Hangover (2009)
As far as comedies about men up to debauchery go, The Hangover is typically at the top of the list. This movie is one of the best to watch if you love Ted. The first in the trilogy, three men (there’s no teddy bear, but there is, at one point, a baby) played by Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis, go to Las Vegas for a bachelor party and get up to lots of trouble. They somehow wake up drugged, missing teeth, in a room with Mike Tyson’s tiger, and being tracked by gangsters, with no recollection of what happened the night before.
It sounds just like the type of trouble Ted might get John into, right down to the drunken Vegas wedding to a call girl, the mysterious baby in the closet, and the boys getting in the way of the groom’s pending nuptials. The Hangover is filled with non-stop laughs: you can easily see all the characters existing in the same universe.
Stream The Hangover on TBS.
