Splashier hits like “Ted Lasso” and “Severance” get the attention, but just under the hood at Apple TV Plus, there’s a smaller show with a fiercely devoted fan base.
That’d be “Mythic Quest,” a delightfully dysfunctional workplace comedy created by the “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” team of Rob McElhenney (who also stars), Charlie Day and Megan Ganz. It follows the narcissists, oddballs, geniuses and incompetents who work at the headquarters of the hit (fictional) video game Mythic Quest.
Once per season, “Mythic Quest” does a standalone episode that doesn’t feature the regular cast. These episodes, which often result in incredible storytelling, proved so popular that Apple greenlit “Side Quest,” a four-episode spinoff about people whose lives are affected by the Mythic Quest video game.
Ashly Burch, a writer for “Mythic Quest” who plays Rachel — a former MQ game tester and current head of monetization — stepped into the role of co-creator and co-showrunner for “Side Quest,” alongside Katie McElhenney and John Harris.
In addition to her work on “Mythic Quest,” Burch is a prolific video game writer and voiceover actor who has voiced Aloy in the “Horizon” series and Mel in “The Last of Us Part II.”
Tom’s Guide talked to Burch about her experience as a first-time showrunner, the only time she’s ever cosplayed, what Muppet she thinks Rachel would be, and her thoughts on that [spoiler redacted] in the jaw-dropping “Mythic Quest” finale, which Burch directed.
Warning: Spoilers for the “Mythic Quest” season 4 finale follow.
TOM’S GUIDE: How did you join “Mythic Quest” in the first place? Was it always the intention that you would both write and star in it?
ASHLY BURCH: I don’t think it was, actually. I got started in my career doing a very silly sketch comedy web series with my brother called, “Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin’?”, doing voice work and working on “Adventure Time,” and I think that combination of credits is what let the people that work on “Mythic Quest” know that I existed — especially “Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin’?”
I remember Rob [McElhenney] telling me that he saw that and was like, “Oh, she seems to have a similar sensibility to us.” And they were looking also for someone who understood the gaming space.
I just got a cold call, basically, asking if I wanted to join the writers’ room. And then I was in the writers’ room for a couple of months, and I remember Megan [Ganz] asking if we had any ideas for casting, because we hadn’t cast anyone yet.
And I got very bold for some reason, and was like, “Could I audition?” So, I went through the process of auditioning. Which is funny because I was in a mix and match with some of the women that ended up actually being cast in the show. And I felt a bit like a spy or like a mole because I was also a writer on the show.
But that’s kind of how it started and then directing came out of that, just being involved with the show more.
TG: “Side Quest” has such a wonderful range of stories. It was your first time being a showrunner. Did anything surprise you about that experience? What do you think you learned?
AB: I think what surprised me about it is that it really did feel like an extension of some of the work that I had already been doing. It was just volume.
So much of TV, and really the basis of any visual storytelling medium, is the writing, of course. I remember talking to Rob once and him asking me if I wanted to be a showrunner. It was earlier on, and I think I was a bit more hesitant, I was a bit more nervous about it.
And he was like, “Well, do you think you could run a writers’ room?” And I said, “Yeah, I think I could run a writers’ room.” And he’s like, “Then you can showrun.”
I do think that was part of it. And the other piece of it was because I’d been directing, that felt to me sort of like a microcosm of what showrunning ended up being. It’s the combo of running a writers’ room, having awareness of story, being able to break story and build story, and then being able to answer lots of questions.
So I was a little nervous going into it and then I sort of realized, oh, I have all the skill sets I need to be able to do this job already, from the other work I’ve been doing. And I’m very grateful that I was able to step into the role and gather those skills over time so that when I got to the place of being a showrunner … I felt prepared.
TG: “Side Quest” episode 2, “Pull List,” centers on Black nerds, highlighting an underrepresented part of geekdom. How long had you been thinking of doing a story like that? Are there other pockets of underrepresented gaming or comics culture that you’d be interested in exploring?
AB: “Pull List” really came out of wanting to focus on the Black nerd community. The co-writer of that episode, Javi [Javier Scott], is a Black nerd. He is one of the nerdiest people I know, and he is also one of the sweetest people I know. He had to teach many cast members how to play Magic the Gathering for that episode, which is fun.
But it was important to all of us to tell stories in interesting places and to touch on interesting communities. A conversation that we saw happening online in the Black nerd community that we thought [was] so funny is, what characters do we claim as Black?
And it comes from such an authentic place. I’ve kind of known for a long time that Piccolo has been claimed as Black, in the Black nerd community, from “Dragon Ball Z.” And so that was such an interesting pocket of, you know, a niche within a niche.
The other thing that we liked about it was that it’s a very specific community, but we got to tackle something that’s larger, which is found family and a sense of community and a sense of place, and what does it feel like when that feels threatened to you?
So it came from — as we were developing the season and thinking about different stories — Javi’s experience, and videos and stuff, and conversations we’d seen between Black nerds. And then also getting the opportunity to tell a story about community in a bottle episode, which, in retrospect, was ambitious of us. It’s a self-contained bottle episode with characters that you don’t know. What were we thinking? But it turned out well.
In terms of other communities, in the independent game development community in particular, there’s a lot of trans devs [developers]. I can name like five just off the top of my head of people that either came into the space having transitioned or have since transitioned.
If we ever get more “Side Quest,” I think it’d be fun to do a story about a trans game developer.
TG: The episode also seemed like an homage to “High Fidelity.” Was it?
AB: It absolutely was. It was definitely influenced by “High Fidelity.” And Cherry’s character was in part influenced by Jack Black’s character in that.
TG: Janae, the store owner in that episode, talks about cosplaying. Have you ever cosplayed?
AB: I have done one of the weirder cosplays. A long, long time ago at PAX, which is Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle, some friends of mine and I dressed up as characters from the farming simulator Harvest Moon.
That is, I think, maybe the only time I’ve cosplayed. I was the farmer. In that game, there are eligible ladies that you could possibly marry. So it was a gender bending, because I was the male character and all my friends were men, and they were all the women that were possible bachelorettes.
TG: What is the No. 1 thing people shout to you when they recognize you?
AB: They say, “Hey Ash, whatcha playin’?”
TG: On to “Mythic Quest.” The Congressional hearing scene: What acting techniques did you have to access to deliver that masterful cringe performance? And how did you stop yourself and the cast from laughing the whole time?
AB: (Laughs) Well, I do have experience with being cringe in my life. I didn’t have to dig that deep to be cringey.
That was such a fun scene to play as Rachel because that is definitely the most she’s ever stepped in it, in the entire history of the show. The concept of backpedaling and just getting deeper and deeper into the shit, is an experience that I am familiar with (laughs).
Also, I just feel like I have a handle on this character now, which is great. I feel like in season 4, especially, we kind of locked into who she is and what makes her funny, and I started calling her an idiot savant. I feel like that’s a good description for her.
TG: That’s a great description for her. I keep wondering, does she keep failing upward, or is she some sort of savant?
AB: I think she actually is smart about monetization. She does get gamers and what they will respond to and what they would pay money for. And that is something that she’s actually competent at. Everything else is complete incompetence and ignorance.
That episode was really fun also because obviously it’s me and David [Hornsby, who plays David Brittlesby] in that storyline. And I got him to break, which is not something that is easily done … because usually David is the one making everyone else break.
TG: We have to talk about the “Mythic Quest” finale, which is generating some polarized takes right now. I’d love to know your reaction to Ian and Poppy’s kiss as a fan, as a writer, and as the director of the episode.
AB: If I was not involved with the show at all, as a fan, I think I would be shocked and also kind of excited by it, just because it’s such a different way to take their relationship.
They’ve gone through so many different iterations of their relationship and it’s kind of come back to the same thing of, “We’re going to keep trying.” Like, “OK, we’re toxic for each other, but we’re going to keep trying. We’re toxic for each other, we’re going to keep trying.”
And this crosses a line and shakes them up in a way that’s really interesting. I think we needed that at this point, especially with Poppy going in her own direction and possibly living a life completely divorced from Mythic Quest.
I think it was a smart way to take the show. But I’m only on board with it because of what happens immediately after the kiss, which is that they look at each other in horror.
We did the kiss — this is [my] director hat now — multiple times in different ways. And I think the thing that ended up being important to everyone was that it was very mutual. So, Ian initiates it, but then they’re very much both in it. And then the shock of it simultaneously makes them jolt out of it and go, “Oh, no.”
We really wanted to make sure that it wasn’t a thing that was premeditated on Ian’s part, that he wasn’t planning this entire time — it’s just something that happens.
We still don’t know if we’re going to get another season, but I really hope we do just because I personally want to see the aftermath.
TG: Did you watch the first season of “The Last of Us,” and what are your feelings on Mel being adapted for season 2?
AB: I did watch the first season, it’s awesome. And I’m excited. Craig Mazin, who worked on “Mythic Quest” as well, he and I are pals now, and he texted me after — I won’t spoil anything — he texted me after a very iconic Mel scene to tell me a little bit about it, and I’m excited to see it.
It’s a really interesting place to be, as someone that loves games and has been in games for a long time, to see so many of them being adapted. I’m excited to see what they do with her and, and I’m excited to see the scene in question. I don’t know if excited’s the right word. I’m interested. If you know, you know.
TG: What other game that you’ve been a part of would you love to see adapted?
AB: Hmm. Oh, that’s a hard one. You know what? I think this would be a really difficult movie or show to make, bordering on impossible, possibly, which is why I’m curious … but “The Outer Worlds.”
There’s probably a way to do it, but it’s so, it’s very obsidian. Which means it’s very player-driven. So I’m just always curious how people handle stuff that’s player-driven.
TG: Are there any other gamers in the cast of “Mythic Quest,” and what do you all play in your downtime?
AB: Yes. So me and Humphrey Ker, who was a writer on the show and then played Tall Paul as well, are probably the biggest nerds. So we played the most, and the most varied games.
But Imani [Hakim, who plays Rachel’s love interest Dana] also plays games. She’s big into “Rocket League,” and she and I have played a lot of “Overcooked” — a LOT of “Overcooked.”
In fact, she was recently pregnant and gave birth, but before she gave birth, she had what she was calling a “mom-chlor,” which is basically a bachelor thing, but for being a mom. So she had a bunch of friends over. And when I came in, they were playing “Overcooked” and could not finish this one level.
So I basically became their management staff, where I was like, “OK, no, you’re going to go over here and you’re going to go over there and you’re going to stay here. You’re only going to wash dishes.” So (laughs) there’s a lot of “Overcooked” in our lives.
TG: What other projects are you working on right now?
I’m working on a project that I’ve had in my head for about a decade called “I’m Happy You’re Here.” It’s basically “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood,” but for adults, so there are swears.
It focuses on mental health, which has always been really important to me because I suffer from an anxiety disorder. I think adults need way more support with mental health than we get. Plus, puppets are funny and cute, and I like them.
TG: Do you watch TV? What shows are you watching?
AB: I do watch TV. I have recently, strangely, gotten back into an anime kick. I don’t really watch a ton of anime; I haven’t historically. I did it when I was in high school and then I kind of fell off. And then I, for whatever reason, started watching anime again. I’m watching a show right now called “Apothecary Diaries.”
TG: What about non-anime?
AB: I’m about to start the second season of “Severance.” I haven’t been spoiled, and I wanted to binge it. So I’ve just been saving it. Like a little treat for myself.
TG: Which “Mythic Quest” character would you least want to be trapped in an elevator with?
AB: (immediately) Jo.
TG: What Muppet does Rachel think she is, and which Muppet is she actually?
AB: I think she probably thinks that she’s Fozzie. But she’s actually Gonzo.
TG: I have a friend who said she loves you and your hair, in particular, because she loves a younger woman with gray hair. So on behalf of younger, gray-haired women everywhere, can you talk about your decision to embrace the gray?
AB: I have always thought that it looked cool. And I get a lot of compliments on my hair. So I guess I’m right. But yeah, it came in in such a way that I was like, this just is an interesting look.
And [it’s] also a big part of embracing it on “Mythic Quest” as well, because I had some gray hair, even from the first season, that we dyed. But in the quarantine episode, Dana compliments Rachel’s gray. And I was like, well, then she’s never dyeing it again. There’s no way. If Dana likes it, then it’s staying.
“Side Quest” and “Mythic Quest” are now streaming on Apple TV Plus