Rob McElhenny’s new Apple TV+ series, “Mythic Quest,” where he plays a boorish video game developer, looks and feels like a lot like that other comedy McElhenny has been starring on for the last 14 years, “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” But Sunday, McElhenny explained how the two will be different.
“‘Sunny,’ because it’s set in satire, we’ve sort of created these characters that ostensibly become live action cartoony characters. Whereas this we really wanted strive for something different,” he said Sunday during the Television Critics Association press tour. “Yes, we wanted it to be funny, but that the characters really felt like real people. This felt like a real workplace environment.”
McElhenny co-created the comedy with his “Sunny” co-star Charlie Day and executive producer Megan Ganz. The series was renewed for a second season on Sunday.
“Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet” follows a team of video game developers as they navigate the challenges of running a popular video game. In addition to McElhenney, who stars as the fictional company’s creative director, Ian Grimm, the ensemble cast also includes F. Murray Abraham, Danny Pudi, Imani Hakim, Charlotte Nicdao, David Hornsby, Ashly Burch and Jessie Ennis.
Hornsby, another “Sunny” alum who stars in the series, explained one major, more cosmetic difference for him.
“I get to show my actual face, but the chair and makeup time is about the same,” he said. On “Sunny” he plays David “Rickity Crickit” Mara, a former high school classmate of the Paddy’s Pub gang, who ends up becoming a broken-down homeless man. “It’s a very different character and I’m excited for people to see it. This show has a good sense of heart.”
McElhenney also said that he’ll keep doing “Sunny” for as long as people still want it. “We’re just gonna keep doing it forever.”