Even bombastic science fiction blockbusters like Inception can be read as extended metaphors for the art of filmmaking. There’s an old cliché that writers love writing about writers, whether out of some form of vanity or simply as the ultimate extension of “ write what you know.” As a result, there’s a surprising amount of art that wrestles with the process of creating art. Crucially though, it understands that the process is more complicated and more challenging than it is often portrayed on screen. It is a show that understands the agony and ecstasy of trying to bring an idea to life. There are few films or television shows that so skillfully capture the art of creation. However, over its first two seasons, Mythic Quest has evolved into a nuanced and insightful study of the creative process. It’s superficially similar to classics of the workplace sitcom genre, from M*A*S*H to Cheers to The Office to Parks and Recreation. Created by Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, and Megan Ganz of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, in association with Ubisoft, the show is set inside the offices of the eponymous company as the staff work on a massively multiplayer online game.
On the surface, Mythic Quest is a formulaic workplace sitcom. This is what makes Mythic Quest so fascinating. The creative process is both an enticing curiosity and notoriously difficult to depict on screen.
