It has been a minute. Seriously. If you’ve been scrolling through Apple TV+ wondering why the MQ office looks like it’s been frozen in digital amber since early 2023, you aren't alone. The silence around Mythic Quest Season 4 was starting to feel a bit like a server crash nobody wanted to fix. But we're finally seeing the light at the end of the development tunnel.
The show isn't just coming back; it’s expanding into something much bigger.
Rob McElhenney and the crew at Ubisoft Film & Television didn't just sit on their hands during the industry-wide strikes and production shifts. They were building. This season is shaping up to be the most chaotic pivot the show has ever attempted, mostly because the central duo is no longer "the central duo" in the way we remember.
The Messy Reality of Mythic Quest Season 4
Let’s be honest about where we left off. Ian and Poppy are basically playing house in their new venture, GrimPop. It’s awkward. It’s brilliant. It’s also incredibly fragile. For three seasons, the show thrived on the friction of a massive corporate machine. Now, the stakes are smaller but somehow more personal.
Ian Grimm is a man who needs a kingdom to rule, and right now, he’s basically ruling a desk and a very stressed-out Poppy Li. Mythic Quest Season 4 has to answer a very specific question: Can these two actually create something without the safety net of David Brittlesbee’s panicked management?
Probably not. And that's the point.
The production cycle for this season was hit hard by the 2023 writers' and actors' strikes. That’s the boring, logistical truth of why the gap was so long. But the silver lining is that the writers had an enormous amount of time to sit with these characters. We’re moving past the "will they, won't they" of business partnership and into the "what do we do now that we actually have what we wanted?" phase.
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What’s Happening With the Side Quest Spin-off?
This is where things get interesting. Apple isn't just giving us a fourth season; they're launching an anthology series called Side Quest.
Think of it as the "A Dark Quiet Death" or "Backstory!" episodes but turned into an entire show. It’s a genius move, really. One of the best things about the main series has always been its ability to step away from the office comedy tropes and tell a deeply human, often tragic, standalone story about the gaming industry.
- Side Quest will feature four episodes.
- It explores the lives of players, developers, and fans touched by the game.
- It allows the main show to stay focused on the office ego-battles.
- Rob McElhenney, Megan Ganz, and David Hornsby are still the creative engines here.
By splitting the storytelling this way, Mythic Quest Season 4 can double down on the comedy. It doesn't have to carry the emotional "prestige TV" weight of the flashback episodes quite as heavily. It can just be funny, mean, and fast-paced again.
Why David and Jo Are the Secret Sauce
While everyone talks about Ian and Poppy, the real power dynamic has shifted back at the main office. David Brittlesbee, played with a perfect level of "sad dad" energy by David Hornsby, is now the boss of a studio that actually has a hit on its hands.
And then there’s Jo.
Jessie Ennis has created one of the most terrifyingly funny characters on television. Watching her navigate a world where Ian isn't there to provide a chaotic moral compass is going to be a highlight of the new episodes. We’re seeing a shift in the hierarchy that feels earned. The "new" Mythic Quest office is populated by people who were once subordinates but are now the ones holding the keys.
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It’s a classic corporate comedy flip. The people who wanted power finally got it, and now they realize it’s mostly just answering emails and dealing with HR complaints from Carol. Speaking of Carol, Naomi Ekperigin better be getting more screen time this year. Her exhaustion is the audience's surrogate.
The Ubisoft Connection and Technical Accuracy
One thing that sets this show apart—and something that will be even more prominent in Mythic Quest Season 4—is the involvement of Ubisoft. This isn't just a "fake game" show. The footage you see of the game is real, rendered in actual engines, and the jargon actually makes sense.
When they talk about "T-posing" or "feature creep," they aren't just using buzzwords they found on a subreddit. They are satirizing the actual, grueling process of game dev. As we move into 2026, the industry is obsessed with AI integration and massive layoffs. You can bet your life that the writers are going to tear into the "AI-generated quest" trend.
Ian Grimm probably thinks he invented AI in a dream once. Poppy probably hates it because it lacks "the soul" of her coding, but she’ll use it to save time anyway. This is the kind of nuance that makes the show work for people who actually work in tech. It isn't a caricature; it's a mirror.
The Release Timeline We’re Looking At
Apple has been a bit cagey, but the patterns are clear. We know filming for Mythic Quest Season 4 and the spin-off happened concurrently. This "bulk filming" strategy is why the wait was so long, but it means we are likely getting a massive dump of MQ content in a relatively short window.
Expect the fourth season to lead directly into or run alongside Side Quest. It’s a programming block. Apple wants to own the "prestige comedy" space, especially with Ted Lasso finished and The Morning Show leaning more into soap opera territory.
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What This Means for Your Binge-Watch
If you’re planning on jumping back in, you should probably re-watch the Season 3 finale, "Buffalo." It’s the one where the split becomes official. It’s also the one that reminds you that despite all the screaming, these people actually kind of love each other.
Sorta.
The biggest misconception is that the show is just The Office but for nerds. It’s not. It’s a show about the cost of creativity. It’s about how much of your soul you have to trade to make something that millions of people will eventually use to scream at children over a headset.
Mythic Quest Season 4 is going to be about the fallout of that trade.
Actionable Steps for the MQ Fandom
To get the most out of the upcoming premiere, you should pivot your focus toward the "standalone" episodes from previous seasons. Watch "A Dark Quiet Death" (Season 1, Episode 5) and "Everlight" again. These episodes establish the tonal boundaries of the show. They tell you that the creators aren't afraid to be sincere, which makes the cynical jokes in the office scenes land much harder.
Keep an eye on the official Ubisoft and Apple TV+ social feeds for the first "GrimPop" teaser. That’s where the real marketing push will start. Don't expect a traditional trailer; expect a video of Ian Grimm talking about how he’s a visionary while Poppy cries in the background.
Check your subscription status before the drop. Apple has a habit of raising prices right before their big hits return. If you've been off the platform for a while, wait for the full season to drop so you can churn through it in a weekend rather than paying for three months of service.
The wait is almost over. The ego has landed. And honestly, the gaming industry deserves the roasting it's about to get.