Ted 2

It serves as a sequel to the 2012 film Ted. The film follows the talking teddy bear Ted (voiced by MacFarlane) as he fights for his civil rights in order to be recognized as a person and not as property.

The film also stars Mark Wahlberg, Amanda Seyfried, Giovanni Ribisi, Jessica Barth, John Slattery, and Morgan Freeman.

Principal photography began in Massachusetts in July 2014. Ted 2 was released on June 26, 2015, by Universal Pictures. Despite the film failing to achieve the critical and commercial success of its predecessor, it still became a box office success, grossing $215.9 million on a $68 million budget.

In January 2024, a prequel television series began streaming on Peacock.

One year later, following a heated argument between Ted and Tami-Lynn, Ted’s other co-worker, Joy, suggests to him that they have a baby. As Ted cannot father a child, John agrees to help find a sperm donor. They ask Sam J. Jones but he declines due to a sperm count of one.

Then they subsequently try unsuccessfully to break into Tom Brady’s house and steal his sperm. John ultimately volunteers to donate his sperm, but Tami-Lynn is found to be infertile due to past drug use; subsequently, the couple decide to adopt.

The background checks bring Ted’s legal status as a person into question, and the state authorities of Massachusetts declare Ted to be property rather than a person. Ted loses his job, his credit card and bank accounts are terminated and his marriage to Tami-Lynn is annulled.

John suggests that they take the state to court. They ask the best lawyer they can find, who assigns the case pro bono to his niece Samantha “Sam” Jackson, a novice lawyer. They are initially reluctant due to her lack of pop culture knowledge, but bond over their love of marijuana as they prepare to present the case.

Meanwhile, Donny, Ted’s life-long stalker, is now working as a janitor at Hasbro’s headquarters in New York City. He proposes to the company CEO to abduct Ted for research in order to manufacture live teddy bears commercially, convincing him to hire an expert attorney to ensure that Ted maintains his status as property.

Despite Sam’s best efforts, the court rules against Ted. Disheartened and desperate, the trio contact Patrick Meighan, a highly respected civil rights attorney, to help overturn the court’s decision. Along a trip to Manhattan to meet with Meighan, John and Sam fall in love and eventually kiss.

When the trio meet Meighan, he is sympathetic to Ted’s plight but ultimately refuses the case, as he believes Ted has not significantly contributed to humanity due to his lifestyle.

Furious at the injustice and jealous of Sam and John’s relationship, Ted takes his frustrations out on them and wanders into the New York Comic-Con. Donny, disguised as a Raphael cosplayer, discreetly follows Ted inside. Ted steals another person’s phone and calls Sam and John to inform them of his situation, just as Donny abducts him.

John and Sam arrive and find Ted, just as Donny is about to cut him open. Ted reconciles to John and Sam while they leave, but Donny severs the cables holding up a display model of the Enterprise-D and it swings towards Ted. John pushes Ted out of the way to rescue him and is rendered unconscious before Donny is arrested.

John is rushed to the hospital, where he flatlines. The next day, the group is told that John has died and tearfully visit him, but John wakes up and reveals the doctors revived him and worked with him afterwards to prank them. Although Sam is initially furious, she and John kiss as the group rejoices.

Meighan, inspired by John’s selflessness and Ted’s emotions over the injured John, takes their case and successfully overturns the ruling by demonstrating that Ted is self-aware, feels complex emotions, and is capable of empathy. Ted proposes to Tami-Lynn as they leave court. Ted and Tami-Lynn remarry and adopt a baby boy, naming him after Rocky character “Apollo Creed”, while John and Sam happily pursue their own relationship. John even gives Apollo Creed a teddy bear of his own.