Series synopsis
Better Off Ted is an American comedy television series that premiered on ABC on March 18, 2009. It ended on August 24, 2010. It was created by Victor Fresco. It stars Jay Harrington, Portia De Rossi, Andrea Anders and Jonathan Slavin.
Ted, a successful but morally conscious man, runs a research and development department at a morally questionable corporation, Veridian Dynamics. No achievement is too far fetched and no invention too unorthodox for Veridian. Ted loves his seemingly perfect job; he loves his superhuman boss, Veronica, and colleagues Lem, Phil and Linda, but he's starting to take a closer look at the company's extremely questionable practices... especially when they try to cryogenically freeze one of Ted's scient ...
Premise
Ted, a successful but morally conscious man, runs a research and development department at a morally questionable corporation, Veridian Dynamics. No achievement is too far fetched and no invention too unorthodox for Veridian. Ted loves his seemingly perfect job; he loves his superhuman boss, Veronica, and colleagues Lem, Phil and Linda, but he's starting to take a closer look at the company's extremely questionable practices... especially when they try to cryogenically freeze one of Ted's scientists for testing purposes.
Premise: They're putting comedy to work.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Jay Harrington as Ted Crisp
- Portia De Rossi as Veronica Palmer
- Andrea Anders as Linda Zwordling
- Jonathan Slavin as Phil Myman
- Malcolm Barrett as Lem Hewitt
- Isabella Acres as Rose Crisp
Guest cast
- Kevin Chamberlin as Ted's Father
- Richard Fancy as Mr. Campbell
- Kristoffer Polaha as Don
- Richard Riehle as Bob
- Maz Jobrani as Dr. Bhamba
- Taye Diggs as Greg
- Khandi Alexander as Stella
- Jeff Doucette as Mr. Krebs
- Stefanie von Pfetten as Greta
- Chris Parnell as Walter
- Kyle Bornheimer as Pete
- Eddie McClintock as Billy
Episodes
This series spans 2 seasons with 26 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 13 | March 18, 2009 | August 11, 2009 |
| Season 2 | 13 | December 8, 2009 | August 24, 2010 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Pilot Ted Crisp works at Veridian Technologies in the research and development department and loves his job. However, Ted is taken aback when he learns the company has cryogenically frozen one of the scientists in his department. |
March 18, 2009 |
| 2 |
Heroes Due to Phil's after effects from the cryogenic experiment, Ted tries to get him to sign a waiver to protect Veridian from possible future litigation. Elsewhere, Phil and Lem try to create beef despite having no meat in the lab. |
March 25, 2009 |
| 3 |
Through Rose Colored HAZMAT Suits When Ted's nanny calls in sick, he is forced to take his daughter Rose to work where Veronica bonds with her. Meanwhile, Ted learns where he stands with Linda when her ex-boyfriend arrives in town. |
April 1, 2009 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Love Blurts Veridian Dynamics tries matchmaking employees based on their genetic compatibility in hopes of saving on health insurance bills from imperfectly bred children. Ted and Linda balk at this until they meet their supposed matches -- Greg for Linda and Danielle for Ted -- and are instantly attracted despite themselves. Meanwhile, after Veronica finds out Lem is her perfect genetic match, she hounds him to make a donation to a sperm bank |
December 8, 2009 |
| 2 |
The Lawyer, The Lemur and the Little Listener When a wave of layoff hits Veridian and little Rose seems to have inside info because of a friend in her Hive playgroup, Veronica tries to pump her for information, much to Ted's disapproval. Meanwhile, Linda is elated to sell her first children's book -- until someone points out that her lead character, a lemur, is the spitting image of Phil -- and Lem starts a passionate affair with one of the company lawyers, only to find out that his paycheck is being docked for the "billable hours" he's spending with his new girlfriend. |
December 15, 2009 |
| 3 |
Battle of the Bulbs Lem flips out when his mother, a brilliant scientist who has always intimidated him, comes to visit and begins an affair with Dr. Bhamba. Meanwhile, Ted gets miffed when Linda suddenly gets all the credit after she makes a suggestion to improve on his prize project, a light bulb that burns forever. |
December 22, 2009 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | ABC |
|---|---|
| First aired | March 18, 2009 |
| Last aired | August 24, 2010 |
| Status | Ended |