My Two Dads (Ted)

"My Two Dads" is the second episode of the American fantasy comedy series Ted. Written by Paul Corrigan and Brad Walsh, and directed by series creator Seth MacFarlane, it premiered on the American streaming service Peacock, along with the rest of season one, on January 11, 2024. The series acts as a precursor to the Ted film franchise, showcasing the childhood lives of the protagonists.

The series, set in 1993, focuses on John Bennett (Max Burkholder), the series' primary protagonist, an awkward high-school aged boy; along with Ted (MacFarlane), the series' titular anthropomorphic teddy bear. The two live with John's family, Susan (Alanna Ubach), his mild mannered mother, and Matty (Scott Grimes), his conservative father. Also residing with the family is Blaire (Giorgia Whigham), his radically liberal cousin who often clashes with Matty. In the episode, John and Ted prank their school bully, Clive (Jack Seavor McDonald), by pretending to be his father, but end up having to pull off a bigger lie than expected when they feel remorse for their actions. Concurrently, Matty refuses to go to his colonoscopy.

The scene of Matty saying that he masturbated a dog required multiple takes, as Grimes' acting made his co-stars laugh. Burkholder enjoyed the final version of the episode, both for the Pippin scene, and for the fact that an improvised line by him was left in. Upon release, the episode received generally positive reviews from critics, but Matty's line, "I jacked off a dog", was polarizing amongst reviewers.