Here’s When the ‘Ted’ Prequel Series Drops on Peacock

If you can’t get enough of Ted — the foul-mouthed bear from the 2012 comedy film and its sequel — a prequel featuring the fuzzy bad influence is on the way.

The show takes place in the ’90s, offering a new look at the lifelong friendship between Ted and John (Mark Wahlberg in the movies, Max Burkholder in the series). In a trailer, the pals participate in activities befitting the franchise, including taking the opportunity to make jokes during a high school sex ed class and buying drugs to do for the first time. Seth MacFarlane voices Ted, in addition to serving as co-showrunner.

The Ted prequel will have seven episodes: the first will be 50 minutes long, followed by six 30-minute installments. All of them will drop at once on the Peacock streaming service. Here’s exactly when you can tune in, plus why you may want to pair your binge-watch with a VPN.

When to watch the Ted prequel series on Peacock

Viewers in the US can start watching the new comedy series on Peacock as early as 5 a.m. ET/2 a.m. PT on Jan. 11. 

Last year, Peacock hiked the price of its Premium and Premium Plus plans to $6 and $12 a month, respectively. Premium has ads, while Premium Plus is mostly ad-free. Premium Plus also lets you download titles and stream your live local NBC station. 

If you use the free tier of Peacock (only some existing customers are able to do so), you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan to watch the full Ted season. Recently released Peacock series like Twisted Metal and Based on a True Story have one episode on the tier, but watching additional episodes requires paying for Peacock.

The 2012 film Ted is also available on the streaming service, but Ted 2 is not. You’ll find the sequel on Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max service instead.

James Martin/CNET

Peacock Premium

Carries Ted series

One way to save on a Peacock subscription is by paying annually. Yearly Peacock Premium is $60; $12 less than the monthly version and yearly Premium Plus is $120; a savings of $24. If you’re a student or a Spectrum, Xfinity internet or Instacart customer, you may be eligible to get Peacock for free or at a discount.

How to watch the Ted prequel from anywhere with a VPN

Perhaps you’re traveling abroad and want to stream Peacock while away from home. With a VPN, you’re able to virtually change your location on your phone, tablet or laptop to get access to the series from anywhere in the world. There are other good reasons to use a VPN for streaming too.

A VPN is the best way to encrypt your traffic to stop your ISP from throttling your speeds. Using a VPN is also a great idea if you’re traveling and find yourself connected to a Wi-Fi network and want to add an extra layer of privacy for your devices and logins. Streaming TV can be a bit smoother with a reliable, quality VPN that’s passed our tests and security standards.

You can use a VPN to stream content legally as long as VPNs are allowed in your country and you have a valid subscription to the streaming service you’re using. The US and Canada are among the countries where VPNs are legal, but we advise against streaming or downloading content on illegal torrent sites. We recommend ExpressVPN, but you may opt for another provider from our best list, such as Surfshark or NordVPN. 

Sarah Tew/CNET

ExpressVPN

Best VPN for streaming

If you’re looking for a secure and dependable VPN, our Editors’ Choice is ExpressVPN. It’s fast, works on multiple devices, and provides stable streams. It’s $13 a month, or you can opt for a deal that gives you 15 months for less than $7 per month, given that you pay the total amount upfront.

ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money-back guarantee. Read our review of ExpressVPN.

See at Expressvpn

Follow the VPN provider’s instructions for installation, and choose a country where the Ted series will be streaming on Peacock. Before you open the streaming app, make sure you’re connected to your VPN using your selected region. If you want to stream the Ted series on more than one device, it’s possible you’ll need to configure each one to ensure you’re signed in. Go to settings and check your network connections to verify you’re logged in and connected to your VPN account. Now you’re ready to open Peacock to stream. 

If you run into issues with streaming, first make sure your VPN is up and running on its encrypted IP address. Double-check that you’ve followed installation instructions correctly and you’ve picked the right geographical area for viewing. If you still encounter connection problems, you may need to reboot your device. Close all apps and windows, restart your device and connect to your VPN first. Note that some streaming services have restrictions on VPN access.