‘Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet’ to Produce Virtual Quarantine Episode

Will Thorne
·2 min read

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You can now add Apple’s “Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet” to the burgeoning list of TV series which are producing one-off, virtual specials.

The workplace comedy series, which hails from “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” stars and executive producers Rob McElhenney and Charlie Day, has shot a half-hour quarantine episode launching May 22 on Apple TV Plus. To produce the episode, the cast and crew worked remotely in different locations across the country, shooting footage on their iPhones.

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This new installment finds the team behind the biggest multiplayer video game of all-time tasked with working from home. Poppy (Charlotte Nicdao) and Ian (McElhenney) struggle with solitude, while Brad (Danny Pudi) and David (David Hornsby) start a charitable competition. Assistant Jo (Jessie Ennis) tries to explain video-conferencing to CW (F. Murray Abraham) with mixed results.

“Lots of workplaces are figuring out this whole working-from-home thing, and the gaming industry is no different. Virtual meetings are a new and special kind of hell, so I think people will relate,” said McElhenney. “Yes we’ve all had low points, but there have also been incredible moments of triumph and we wanted to celebrate that. We needed to shoot this episode fast without sacrificing quality. Thankfully, we’re living in a time when everyone’s got a camera in their pocket. Having an iPhone coupled with the ingenuity of our crew, allowed us to make this unique piece of television in just days. We hope people enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it.”

“Mythic Quest: Quarantine” was written by McElhenney, co-creator and executive producer Megan Ganz, and executive producer and star David Hornsby.

The show, which was renewed for a second season by Apple earlier this year, was inspired by McElhenney’s visit to Ubisoft’s headquarters, during which, as he previously told Variety, he met a creative director who “took this very loaded beat, and he took a breath and stared out into the distance and said, ‘I create worlds.’” It is produced by Lionsgate, 3Arts Entertainment and Ubisoft.

Other shows which have produced shot-from-home quarantine episodes include CBS’s “All Rise,” and NBC’s “Parks and Recreation,” whose cast reunited for a charity special to raise funds for Feeding America.

Watch the teaser for the “Mythic Quest” quarantine episode below:

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