Feature Story
While lots of people turned to TV for entertainment during their respective COVID-19 lockdowns, there were plenty of gamers who dove into their favorite video games. Now, a series that brings the two worlds together is about to return for its sophomore season.
After the success of its first season, Rob McElhenney (“It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia”) reprises his role as game creator Ian Grimm in Season 2 of “Mythic Quest,” premiering Friday, May 7, on AppleTV+. The workplace comedy takes viewers behind the scenes of a video game studio responsible for a hugely popular MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) known as “Mythic Quest.” Season 1 followed the developers, testers, writers, designers and others involved in the company as they launched an expansion pack known as “Raven's Banquet.” In the second season, they have been tasked with working on an epic new expansion.
The show was created by McElhenney, his fellow performer/writer Charlie Day and writer Megan Ganz. They have all worked together on the acclaimed comedy series “It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” so it should come as no surprise that the first season of “Mythic Quest” quickly found a solid audience. Matt Cherniss, head of programming for AppleTV+, praised the show in an official statement on the series, saying: “Rob [McElhenney] and the entire `Mythic Quest' team have created a beloved cast of characters that have struck a chord with audiences around the world.”
Season 1's nine episodes introduced audiences to some eccentric roles performed by various established comedy players. Australian actress Charlotte Nicdao (“A Gurls Wurld”) stars as lead engineer Poppy Li, and Oscar winner F. Murray Abraham (“Homeland”) portrays head writer C.W. Longbottom, while Ashly Burch (“Final Space”) and Imani Hakim (“Everybody Hates Chris”) play game testers Rachel and Dana. Another “It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia” alum, David Hornsby, appears as the video game's executive producer, David Brittlesbee, alongside Jesse Ennis (“Hits,” 2014) as Jo, David's assistant. Danny Pudi (“Community”) rounds out the main cast as Brad, head of monetization.
As Season 2 opens, almost everyone is back in the office and ready to tackle the launch of the new “Mythic Quest” game expansion. Unfortunately, Ian and Poppy, the latter of whom was promoted to co-creative director at the end of the first season, don't see eye to eye about which direction to take. At the same time, C.W. must come to terms with some unresolved issues while testers Rachel and Dana navigate an office romance and Jo leaves David to assist Brad.
Perhaps one of the reasons the show has struck a chord with so many viewers is its sense of authenticity. Ubisoft Film & Television, a subsidiary of video game publisher Ubisoft, is one of the show's production companies along with RCG Productions, 3 Arts Entertainment and Lionsgate Television. McElhenney and the writers reportedly worked with Ubisoft during development in an effort to keep the show true to life with realistic video game elements.
Speaking of staying true to life, “Mythic Quest” has not shied away from addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, during lockdown, the cast and crew produced a special quarantine episode. Shot entirely remotely using Apple products such as iPhones and iPads, the bonus episode took a look at how the characters were coping with the pandemic as they worked from home. The performers filmed themselves for the episode, which was directed by McElhenney. It took nearly three weeks to film, and the episode raised more than $600,000 for charitable organization Mercy Corps' COVID-19 relief program. When the episode aired in May 2020, McElhenney talked to Collider's Liz Shannon Miller about filming the episode's final stunt, which featured the popular complicated chain-reaction contraption known as a Rube Goldberg machine.