Rob McElhenney, co-creator of Apple TV+’s upcoming video game comedy Mythic Quest, says that Apple was “very helpful” in the creative process involved in making the show. But he noted that the company was more than willing to push back on issues it felt strongly about.
“Deference would assume we always know what we’re doing and when we walk into the room everyone should just be quiet,” McElhenney told Variety. “That is dangerous because then you have no opposition, and it doesn’t make for the best process.”
Early on, Apple TV+ was plagued by reports that Apple was leaning heavily on creators. For instance, Tim Cook supposedly stepped in when Vital Signs, a semi-biographic drama based on Dr. Dre’s life, looked like it was becoming too violent.
The first showrunner behind the Steven Spielberg-produced Amazing Stories reboot was also ditched. His vision for the series was supposedly “too dark” for Apple’s tastes. The same thing happened with the first showrunner for The Morning Show. A 2018 report in the Wall Street Journal suggested Apple was trying to make squeaky clean TV.
Mythic Quest and squeaky clean Apple TV
Now that Apple TV+ is out, it seems that squeaky clean is not an accurate description. Whether it’s the violence in See or, well, all of Servant, Apple TV+ has been willing to push limits. But it’s rare that creators have talked about the interaction they’ll had with Apple.
In the same interview, McElhenney talked about early teething problems Apple TV+ experienced. “They’re working out some kinks — but it seems like they have been worked out, at least a few of them,” he said. “I know that getting episodes out to critics was a little tricky, but that’s been ameliorated. Any time we’ve called and said we have an issue, it’s all hands on deck and they fix the issue and we move forward.”
You can read Variety‘s full article here. In addition to talking about Apple, McElhenney also discusses the development of the forthcoming series.
