For two decades, Rob McElhenney has been the lovable disaster Mac on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but his Apple TV+ comedy Mythic Quest reveals a completely different creative voice. Co-created by Charlie Day and Megan Ganz, the show is set inside a video game studio, but it’s far more than a simple change of scenery. Mythic Quest is a sharp, surprisingly warm exploration of ambition and the chaos of building something together.
McElhenney trades Mac’s delusional confidence for Ian Grimm, a gaming visionary whose ego is as large as his talent. Mac is blissfully unaware of his own incompetence. Ian, on the other hand, is painfully aware of his genius and the isolation it causes. By putting those flaws side by side, McElhenney reveals a more nuanced performer. He builds the comedy not just on jokes, but on the fragile humanity of a man desperate to connect with the art he creates.
From Mac to Ian Grimm: Rob McElhenney Levels Up
To understand Rob McElhenney’s growth, you need to place Mac’s insecure posturing next to Ian Grimm’s polished narcissism. In It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Mac embodies everything wrong and hilarious about unchecked insecurity. He reinvents himself constantly (karate master, bodybuilder, devout Christian, closeted romantic) but always circles back to the same delusion of grandeur. McElhenney plays him with a chaotic energy that’s hilarious precisely because it’s so transparent; fans are always laughing at the gap between who Mac thinks he is and who he truly is.
Enter Ian Grimm. Arrogant, designer-dripping wardrobe, self-absorbed…basically Mac with money. Yet unlike Mac, Ian has real creative power and can back up his ego with results. The fun comes from the cracks in his armor: his need to control, his pride, and the constant drive to prove his own value. Where Mac’s insecurities are played almost exclusively for laughs, Ian’s are the engine for a story about what ambition truly costs.
In Mythic Quest Season 3, Episode 7, “Sarian”, those flaws hit harder, tracing Ian’s childhood creativity back to a troubled home and showing how ambition became both his escape and his burden. That bond with Poppy, built through Sarian, exposes the real price of Ian’s pride. Beneath the swagger is a man driven less by confidence than by the terror of being forgotten. This storyline reveals the profound difference in McElhenney’s approach. Mythic Quest is not the broad comedy of Mac’s failures, but the nuanced portrait of a man who built a kingdom and now fears becoming its relic. McElhenney leveled up as a performer, proving his ability to anchor comedy in quiet, character-driven truth.
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Mythic Quest Has More Heart Than You Expect
While the surface of Mythic Quest is packed with the absurd antics of a team building a video game, it has a surprising emotional depth, often showcased through powerful standalone episodes. The series constantly balances its workplace comedy with moments of genuine human connection. Few shows that start from such a satirical premise manage to pivot so smoothly into heartfelt territory, but Mythic Quest thrives on that contrast.
A perfect example is Mythic Quest Season 1, Episode 11, “Everlight.” Released as a special ahead of Season 2, the episode tackles the anxiety of returning to work after the pandemic by framing it through the in-game holiday Everlight. The staff celebrates by LARPing, complete with cosplay and a magical sword. What could have been a gimmick instead becomes a meditation on resilience and community. Beneath the spectacle is a story about people trying to reconnect after isolation. Ian insists the holiday is about morale, while Poppy thinks it’s about competition, but the real answer is simpler: “Everlight” reminds everyone that joy and connection are worth fighting for.
Then there’s Mythic Quest Season 2, Episode 6, “Backstory!” — one of the series’ most acclaimed installments. This flashback explores the younger days of C.W. Longbottom, played in the present by F. Murray Abraham. The episode is told through Carl’s time as a struggling sci-fi writer, painting a tragic portrait of ego, failure, and compromise. What begins as a hopeful partnership with fellow writers curdles into bitterness and betrayal, culminating in Carl claiming credit for a story that wasn’t truly his. By the time he earns acclaim, it doesn’t matter, a reminder that unchecked pride can hollow out even real talent. It’s a sobering story that deepens C.W. as a character and proves how daring the show can be in stepping outside its usual format. Episodes like these reveal why Mythic Quest deserves more attention. Together, they show that this is more than a comedy about game developers. It’s a series unafraid to wrestle with grief, pride, resilience, and hope; all while delivering some of the sharpest laughs on television.
All seasons of Mythic Quest are streaming now on Apple TV+, making it the perfect time for Always Sunny fans to see another side of Rob McElhenney.
