Draft:Dungeons & Dealers

[[File:BrennanLeeMulligan (cropped).jpg|thumb|Brennan Lee Mulligan appears in the episode as the family's Dungeon Master.]]

[[File:BrennanLeeMulligan (cropped).jpg|thumb|Brennan Lee Mulligan appears in the episode as the family's Dungeon Master.]]

"Dungeons & Dealers" was directed by series creator and lead [[Seth MacFarlane]],{{cite web |last1=Bennett |first1=Tara |title=Everything to Know About ''Ted'' Season 2: Premiere Date & More |url=https://www.peacocktv.com/blog/everything-to-know-about-ted-season-2-on-peacock |website=[[Peacock (streaming service)|Peacock Blog]] |access-date=March 4, 2026 |date=February 16, 2026|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260305204413/https://www.peacocktv.com/blog/everything-to-know-about-ted-season-2-on-peacock|archive-date=March 5, 2026}} and written by Chelsea Davison in her first writing credit of the series.{{cite web |title=''Ted'' (2023) — WGA Directory |url=https://directories.wga.org/project/1241837/ted-2023 |website=WGA Directory |access-date=March 4, 2026|url-status=live}} In the episode, [[Brennan Lee Mulligan]] guest stars as Ted and John's drug dealer and [[Dungeon Master]].{{Cite web |title=Ted Gets Older, Not Necessarily More Mature, In Peacock Show's Season 2 Trailer |url=https://www.avclub.com/ted-season-2-trailer |access-date=February 24, 2026 |website=[[The A.V. Club]] |language=en-US|date=January 15, 2026|last=Hughes|first=William|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260124195047/https://www.avclub.com/ted-season-2-trailer|archive-date=January 24, 2026}} MacFarlane noted that the episode is "one you can really only do in a season 2 [or] 3 once you've established your characters", taking inspiration from the ''[[Star Wars]]'' film ''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]'' in his directing and execution of it.{{Cite web |last=Hermanns |first=Grant |date=March 5, 2026 |title=''Ted'' Season 2's "Wild" Dungeons & Dragons Episode Broken Down By Seth MacFarlane & Stars |url=https://screenrant.com/ted-season-2-dungeons-dragons-episode-explained-macfarlane-whigham-burkholder/ |access-date=March 6, 2026 |website=[[Screen Rant]] |language=en|url-status=live}} In "Dungeons & Dealers", John is not a fan of ''Dungeons & Dragons'', but, in real life, [[Max Burkholder]] plays the game with his friends, and takes the role of the Dungeon Master.{{Cite web |date=March 5, 2026 |title=''Ted'' Star Max Burkholder Hopes To Play High Schoolers Through His 50s |url=https://ca.news.yahoo.com/ted-star-max-burkholder-hopes-100006904.html |access-date=March 5, 2026 |website=[[Yahoo! News]] |language=en-CA|last=Topel|first=Fred|archive-date=|url-status=live}} Burkholder is the one who pitched the idea of an episode based around the game, and also bringing Mulligan in, as he was a fan of his work, such as Mulligan's ''[[Worlds Beyond Number]]'' podcast. A fan of Mulligan's, Burkholder stated that he had never "been on quiet on set" as when he worked with him, describing himself as "starstruck" on the days he filmed with Mulligan.{{Cite web |last=Gallardo |first=Chris |date=March 5, 2026 |title=Giorgia Whigham And Max Burkholder Talk ''Ted'' Season 2, Brennan Lee Mulligan, And That DnD Episode |url=https://telltaletv.com/2026/03/giorgia-whigham-and-max-burkholder-talk-ted-season-2-brennan-lee-mulligan-and-that-dnd-episode/ |access-date=March 5, 2026 |website=[[Tell-Tale TV]] |language=en-US|url-status=live|archive-date=}} Although MacFarlane was not a fan of ''Dungeons & Dragons'', Davison was, noting that MacFarlane wanted to create an episode with the immense fanbase of the game in mind. He felt that John and Ted were "too cool" to be big fans of the game that already had campaigns set, and so they decided to create a way for them to only play for a single episode that would force them into it without changing their characters. Furthermore, a round of the game was played in the writing room to help better understand the mechanics of it, and aspects of the round—such as a riddle Davison wrote for it—made it into the final episode.{{Cite web |last=Weber |first=Rachel |date=2026-03-06 |title=Ted Season 2 Exclusive: Go Behind the Scenes of the Special Dungeons & Dragons Episode |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/ted-season-2-exclusive-go-behind-the-scenes-of-the-special-dungeons-dragons-episode |access-date=2026-04-20 |website=IGN |language=en}}

"Dungeons & Dealers" was directed by series creator and lead [[Seth MacFarlane]],{{cite web |last1=Bennett |first1=Tara |title=Everything to Know About ''Ted'' Season 2: Premiere Date & More |url=https://www.peacocktv.com/blog/everything-to-know-about-ted-season-2-on-peacock |website=[[Peacock (streaming service)|Peacock Blog]] |access-date=March 4, 2026 |date=February 16, 2026|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260305204413/https://www.peacocktv.com/blog/everything-to-know-about-ted-season-2-on-peacock|archive-date=March 5, 2026}} and written by Chelsea Davison in her first writing credit of the series.{{cite web |title=''Ted'' (2023) — WGA Directory |url=https://directories.wga.org/project/1241837/ted-2023 |website=WGA Directory |access-date=March 4, 2026|url-status=live}} In the episode, [[Brennan Lee Mulligan]] guest stars as Ted and John's drug dealer and [[Dungeon Master]].{{Cite web |title=Ted Gets Older, Not Necessarily More Mature, In Peacock Show's Season 2 Trailer |url=https://www.avclub.com/ted-season-2-trailer |access-date=February 24, 2026 |website=[[The A.V. Club]] |language=en-US|date=January 15, 2026|last=Hughes|first=William|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260124195047/https://www.avclub.com/ted-season-2-trailer|archive-date=January 24, 2026}} MacFarlane noted that the episode is "one you can really only do in a season 2 [or] 3 once you've established your characters", taking inspiration from the ''[[Star Wars]]'' film ''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]'' in his directing and execution of it.{{Cite web |last=Hermanns |first=Grant |date=March 5, 2026 |title=''Ted'' Season 2's "Wild" Dungeons & Dragons Episode Broken Down By Seth MacFarlane & Stars |url=https://screenrant.com/ted-season-2-dungeons-dragons-episode-explained-macfarlane-whigham-burkholder/ |access-date=March 6, 2026 |website=[[Screen Rant]] |language=en|url-status=live}} In "Dungeons & Dealers", John is not a fan of ''Dungeons & Dragons'', but, in real life, [[Max Burkholder]] plays the game with his friends, and takes the role of the Dungeon Master.{{Cite web |date=March 5, 2026 |title=''Ted'' Star Max Burkholder Hopes To Play High Schoolers Through His 50s |url=https://ca.news.yahoo.com/ted-star-max-burkholder-hopes-100006904.html |access-date=March 5, 2026 |website=[[Yahoo! News]] |language=en-CA|last=Topel|first=Fred|archive-date=|url-status=live}} Burkholder is the one who pitched the idea of an episode based around the game, and also bringing Mulligan in, as he was a fan of his work, such as Mulligan's ''[[Worlds Beyond Number]]'' podcast. A fan of Mulligan's, Burkholder stated that he had never "been on quiet on set" as when he worked with him, describing himself as "starstruck" on the days he filmed with Mulligan.{{Cite web |last=Gallardo |first=Chris |date=March 5, 2026 |title=Giorgia Whigham And Max Burkholder Talk ''Ted'' Season 2, Brennan Lee Mulligan, And That DnD Episode |url=https://telltaletv.com/2026/03/giorgia-whigham-and-max-burkholder-talk-ted-season-2-brennan-lee-mulligan-and-that-dnd-episode/ |access-date=March 5, 2026 |website=[[Tell-Tale TV]] |language=en-US|url-status=live|archive-date=}} Davison knew Mulligan personally, which was another factor in securing him for the role. Although MacFarlane was not a fan of ''Dungeons & Dragons'', Davison was, noting that MacFarlane wanted to create an episode with the immense fanbase of the game in mind. He felt that John and Ted were "too cool" to be big fans of the game that already had campaigns set, and so they decided to create a way for them to only play for a single episode that would force them into it without changing their characters. Furthermore, a round of the game was played in the writing room to help better understand the mechanics of it, and aspects of the round—such as a riddle Davison wrote for it—made it into the final episode.{{Cite web |last=Weber |first=Rachel |date=2026-03-06 |title=Ted Season 2 Exclusive: Go Behind the Scenes of the Special Dungeons & Dragons Episode |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/ted-season-2-exclusive-go-behind-the-scenes-of-the-special-dungeons-dragons-episode |access-date=2026-04-20 |website=IGN |language=en}}

Mulligan, who is famously a frequent player of ''Dungeons & Dragons'', assisted MacFarlane in the episode's directing to ensure it was accurate to the game. MacFarlane asked Mulligan questions on what could and couldn't be done in the game, and [[Scott Grimes]] praised MacFarlane for making the episode accurate, proclaiming himself as a "nerd" and describing the episode as "[something that] all the nerds out there are just going to adore [and] it's his gift to them". [[Alanna Ubach]], despite having experience with ''Dungeons & Dragons'' when working on the fantasy television series ''[[The Legend of Vox Machina]]'', did not understand the mechanics of the game; she noted that her son was a fan of it, but she still didn't get it, so she tried playing the game behind the scenes of "Dungeons & Dealers". Ubach noted that she only "scratched the surface" of the game during the session. Grimes himself also admitted that he was not a player of the game, trying it once as a child, but ultimately dropping it.

Mulligan, who is famously a frequent player of ''Dungeons & Dragons'', assisted MacFarlane in the episode's directing to ensure it was accurate to the game. MacFarlane asked Mulligan questions on what could and couldn't be done in the game, and [[Scott Grimes]] praised MacFarlane for making the episode accurate, proclaiming himself as a "nerd" and describing the episode as "[something that] all the nerds out there are just going to adore [and] it's his gift to them". [[Alanna Ubach]], despite having experience with ''Dungeons & Dragons'' when working on the fantasy television series ''[[The Legend of Vox Machina]]'', did not understand the mechanics of the game; she noted that her son was a fan of it, but she still didn't get it, so she tried playing the game behind the scenes of "Dungeons & Dealers". Ubach noted that she only "scratched the surface" of the game during the session. Grimes himself also admitted that he was not a player of the game, trying it once as a child, but ultimately dropping it.