The TV show based on Seth MacFarlane’s Ted movies is returning, but Season 2 will probably be its last. MacFarlane explained that making the show takes a long time and is expensive, largely because of the complex visual effects needed to bring the talking teddy bear to life. Interestingly, one episode of Ted actually presents a more realistic and engaging depiction of playing Dungeons & Dragons than the popular, big-budget Netflix series, Stranger Things.
Playing Dungeons & Dragons is a key part of the characters’ lives in Stranger Things from the start. The storylines of their D&D games, called ‘campaigns,’ often reflect what’s happening to them in the real world, especially when they fight monsters from the Upside Down. Many of the creatures they face – like mind flayers, demogorgons, and Vecna – come directly from the D&D rulebook. Interestingly, despite the game’s overall importance to the show, it’s a single episode featuring Ted, titled “Dungeons & Dealers,” that best shows what it’s really like to play D&D.
How Dungeons & Dragons Survived the 1980s and Its Association with ‘the Devil’
Dungeons & Dragons is experiencing a resurgence in popularity thanks to shows like Stranger Things and streaming series like Critical Role, more than 50 years after it was first created. However, it wasn’t always this way. Originally created in 1971 by Gary Gygax, the game was a relatively obscure hobby for many years. While it saw a first surge in popularity during the early 1980s, it wasn’t initially viewed positively. In fact, it was often considered a dangerous pastime, even becoming the subject of a TV movie, Mazes and Monsters, starring Tom Hanks.
The movie Ted is set against the backdrop of a period marked by a tragic event involving a young man’s death and a general decline in cultural taste, affecting both film and music. Though Ted takes place over ten years later, the impact of this era is still felt. In the film, Ted, John, and Blair play Dungeons & Dragons with real-life game master Brendan Lee Mulligan, who also portrays a drug dealer named Chris Bleth. They play in order to purchase marijuana from him. However, after learning about some kids who vandalized a church while using drugs, John’s parents, Matty and Susan, decide to join the game as well.
Several TV shows have explored the era, but surprisingly, Stranger Things hasn’t focused much on religion. The show briefly mentions it, even though church attendance was common among middle-class families in the suburbs during that time. However, this isn’t the reason Ted managed to connect with audiences in a similar way to Stranger Things.
Ted Accurate Captures How Silly Playing Dungeons & Dragons Can Be
As someone who writes about geek culture, it probably won’t surprise you to hear that I used to play Dungeons & Dragons. I was a player and a Dungeon Master for around three or four years. Interestingly, even when I tried to create really challenging and dangerous encounters for my players, they usually managed to overcome them without much trouble.
The main goal of playing Dungeons & Dragons is to have fun, and people who enjoy creating characters and improvising often don’t follow predictable patterns. I frequently found my players would unexpectedly try to become friends with enemies—or even attack allies—just for the fun of it.
While the game was present, it wasn’t a major focus. When it did appear, it usually involved fighting the main villain. However, whether you watch shows like Critical Role or Dimension 20, or even play in a real game yourself, most of the time isn’t actually spent in those kinds of intense battles.
Most of the time players are immersed in these fantasy games, they’re actually interacting with other players’ characters or with characters controlled by the game itself. And because players are usually free to try different approaches, they often find creative solutions that allow them to bypass combat altogether.
The podcast “Dungeons & Dealers” offers some good examples of this. For instance, when the group encountered an ogre guarding a doorway – which should have led to a fight – Ted cleverly distracted it with a song. Later, Sue, playing a fighter, actually had a conversation with the main villain after he’d defeated most of the party. And in another surprising moment, Matty, whose character was a healer, accidentally killed a character who was supposed to give them important information.
While not as intense as the drama in Stranger Things, the comedy and unpredictable energy of “Dungeons & Dealers” really captures the feeling of playing a tabletop role-playing game.
Why Stranger Things Failed to Portray a D&D Campaign as Accurately as Ted
It’s clear the Dungeons & Dragons game wasn’t just a fun pastime – it was central to how the show told its story. However, the D&D scenes were primarily a way for these kids to work through the genuinely frightening challenges they faced throughout the five seasons. The show’s success depended on them playing through their fears, not simply trying to reason with or manipulate the villain, Vecna, like characters in a game.
This was essentially a how-to guide for the kids to tackle the problem, using advice from older students and adults who weren’t familiar with Dungeons & Dragons, in order to defeat the monsters. It fit the story of Stranger Things, but wasn’t a very realistic portrayal of the game itself.
Ted’s game, “Dungeons & Dealers,” brought back memories of my own experiences playing, both as the game master and a player. I’ve personally had success talking or tricking villains, allowing my group to succeed without fighting. There’s even a funny moment in Ted’s game where he tries to attack the Dungeon Master and rolls a ‘Natural 20’ twice in a row!
Sometimes, when a player, like Mulligan, was stuck, I, as the game master, would have them roll a very successful outcome just to move things forward when I wasn’t sure what should happen next. Other games felt too rigid, but Ted’s game was delightfully chaotic. That level of unpredictability is what most D&D players can expect when they start a new campaign and create their characters.
The show drew inspiration from games like Dungeons & Dragons, and those games played a significant role in the story. Unlike a comedy like Ted, the show needed to treat the gaming aspect with respect. However, the episode “Dungeons & Dealers” captured the real feel of playing a game – particularly with a group who are more focused on fun than strict rules – thanks to its humor and unique approach.
In many ways, Ted did what Stranger Things does, but even better – it genuinely showed what it feels like to get lost in the imaginative world of Dungeons & Dragons.
The complete Ted series and the two films stream on Peacock.
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2026-03-15 00:08