Ted Season 2’s “Wild” Dungeons & Dragons Episode Broken Down By Seth MacFarlane & Stars

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Be warned, this article contains spoilers for Ted season 2, episode 3, “Dungeons & Dealers”! Seth MacFarlane’s Ted has entered exciting new territory in season 2, and the cast is discussing all the surprising events of the latest episode.

In the third episode of the Peacock series, “Dungeons & Dealers,” Blaire (Giorgia Whigham) asks John (Max Burkholder) and his friend (played by MacFarlane) for marijuana to help her study for finals. When they discover they’re out, and their usual supplier is unavailable, they turn to a classmate, Brennan Lee Mulligan, who agrees to sell them some only if they help him complete his Dungeons & Dragons game.

Before the new season of Ted premieres, Grant Hermanns from ScreenRant spoke with Seth MacFarlane, Giorgia Whigham, and Max Burkholder about what to expect. MacFarlane explained that the Dungeons & Dragons episode – which features Ted, John, Blaire, Matty, and Susan as their game characters – was something they couldn’t have done in the first season. He said it required audiences to already know and be invested in the characters, making it a perfect fit for a later season like season 2 or 3.

MacFarlane explained that directing this episode was partly influenced by The Empire Strikes Back from 1980. He remembered wishing he could have explored the set of Dagobah and wanted to create a similarly realistic feel for the Dungeons & Dragons production. They focused on building practical sets, especially the forest and temple, and used Fuzzy Door’s ViewScreen technology to make the experience truly immersive for everyone involved.

Seth MacFarlane described the show’s sets as incredibly immersive, like walking through a real forest. Most of the environments, including caves and a temple, were actually built on a soundstage – it took a full minute just to walk through! They did use technology, called ViewScreen, for a scene where the walls close in, similar to a bug tunnel sequence inspired by ‘Temple of Doom’. It was a welcome change of pace from filming primarily in the suburban house. Finding a natural forest in California, especially Southern California, proved impossible – a problem they also faced while filming ‘The Orville’, often leading them to joke that they needed to film on the East Coast to find greenery.

Burkholder and Whigham were also impressed by how the sets for the Dungeons & Dragons game in the second season of Ted were made. Burkholder called it “the best thing ever,” especially because the actors spent a good amount of time in the tavern set, which allowed them to relax and enjoy the space. He also thought the cave system was fantastic.

I’m really excited because Whigham mentioned she has tons of behind-the-scenes photos from the episode that she can’t wait to share! She also said the costumes, hair, and makeup were amazing – a true team effort. What I loved hearing most was how she and Burkholder felt like they stepped into a completely different world, which was a nice change from the usual Ted Lasso family setting.

It honestly felt like we’d stepped onto a completely different production for a while. The way they filmed everything was totally different – they brought in actual trees and tons of dirt to build a realistic forest. It was amazing how much they used real, physical sets and props – it really made a difference!

As Whigham and Burkholder noted, most of the action in Ted takes place in just a few locations: the Bennett family’s home and the high school that John and Ted attend. The show occasionally ventures to places like video stores, hospitals, and college dorms, but generally stays close to home. Given that the show already relies heavily on a CGI talking teddy bear, it makes sense that the creators would focus on the family’s relationships and comedic moments.

The Dungeons & Dragons episode in Ted season 2 represents Seth MacFarlane’s most ambitious live-action directing project in several years. He collaborated with experienced directors like Jon Favreau (Star Wars), Jonathan Frakes (Star Trek), and Jon Cassar (24) to showcase a wide variety of live-action filming techniques on The Orville. The sci-fi series explored diverse settings, from Earth-like planets to completely alien worlds.

As MacFarlane, Whigham, and Burkholder pointed out, the Ted episode in season 2 clearly put as much effort into using real-world effects as The Orville did throughout its three seasons. Beyond the detailed sets – like the tavern, forest, and cave – the actors playing guest roles also wore impressive makeup and costumes, especially the demon who served as the episode’s main villain.

The Dungeons & Dragons episode is not only MacFarlane’s largest live-action project to date, but it also helps Brennan Lee Mulligan become a more widely recognized star. Mulligan began his career at the Upright Citizens Brigade – the same training ground for comedians like Amy Poehler and Ben Schwartz – and gained a following through his work with CollegeHumor’s Dropout, especially Dimension 20. This success eventually led to him taking over as the gamemaster for Matt Mercer during Critical Role‘s fourth campaign.

It’s notable that Ben Mulligan made a guest appearance in season 2 of , alongside Sam Reich, the owner of Dropout, and other familiar faces from . This happened at the same time as had two shows airing. With both Peacock and ABC shows featuring popular online personalities like Mulligan and Reich, it will be interesting to see what other projects these comedians appear in next.

Be sure to dive into some of ScreenRant‘s other Ted season 2 coverage with:

  • Seth MacFarlane seemingly confirming the fate of Ted season 3
  • MacFarlane praising Mark Wahlberg’s franchise return for the upcoming animated series

Ted season 2 is available to stream in its entirety on Peacock.

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2026-03-06 01:59