Apple’s Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet will follow in the footsteps of Parks and Recreaction and Community by delivering a quarantine special shot entirely through social distancing, but with a twist: The episode was written, filmed, and edited solely on iPhones.
Similar to the Parks and Rec special, the one-off episode written by creator Rob McElhenney (It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia) will lean into the characters who work for a fictional gaming company as they attempt to navigate lockdown life with mixed results. In a statement to Variety, McElhenney breaks down the impetus behind the special and how they were able to quickly produce it on the fly:
“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.”
It’s only fitting that McElhenney would jump at the chance to help bring some comedy relief during these stressful times. When the pandemic became a global crisis back in March, McElhenney was one of the first to publicly demand that Hollywood continue to pay the thousands of crew members who will be unemployed during the shutdown.
“This only really works if EVERYBODY makes the commitment to help” McElhenney tweeted at the time. “Just shutting down without a plan is not an option. I am so fortunate that I am in a position to help. I wouldn’t be here without the support of an entire community. No one in my position is.”
Mythic Quest: Quarantine will be available on Apple TV Plus on May 22.