F. Murray Abraham Was Removed From Mythic Quest After Season 2 Due To Sexual Misconduct Allegations
F. Murray Abraham was conspicuously absent from the latest season of the Apple TV+ video game industry comedy "Mythic Quest." While no reason was given for his departure from the show when it was announced last April, Rolling Stone now reports that Abraham was dismissed from his role in the series after at least two sexual misconduct complaints were made against him.
According to the outlet, the "Moon Knight" and "The White Lotus" actor received a warning after a first incident was reported, and was asked to, in the language of Rolling Stone, "keep away from some of the show's actresses." Abraham was ultimately let go from the series after Rob McElhenney, who co-created the show and stars as game industry guru Ian Grimm, learned about a second incident.
A statement from Lionsgate to Rolling Stone in response to the story doesn't add much to the initial two-sentence statement released last spring. "We take allegations of misconduct seriously and investigate them thoroughly," Lionsgate told the outlet in a story published today. "As a matter of corporate policy, we do not discuss our personnel actions."
Though details about the alleged incidents aren't publicly available, Abraham's reported misconduct might seem like a case of art imitating life for fans of the series. His character, washed-up science fiction writer C.W. Longbottom, is often prone to making inappropriate comments that leave the young women he works with at Mythic Quest baffled and disgusted. Abraham filmed separately from much of the cast during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, with his character appearing on Zoom even after others had reunited in person and eventually returning with scenes featuring a smaller cast.
The actor was written out of the show's third season
At the time, McElhenney said at a press event (per Variety) that he "did not want to be known as the person who got F. Murray Abraham very, very ill." The actor was back in action by episode 7 of the second season, but it didn't last; by season 3, the character had been written out of the show entirely. The latest "Mythic Quest" season premiere sent C.W. off with a bang, as the writer posthumously assembled the team for a rooftop party before making them read a letter revealing that he was "dead as Dillinger, daddy-o." Ever one for theatrics, C.W. also had his ashes launched into space via satellite.
While it's always tough to hear that a beloved actor has fallen short of our expectations and that anyone has been faced with harassment, as someone who has endured workplace harassment in the past, I appreciate that these reported incidents appear from the outside to have been handled appropriately and decisively. However, Abraham's dismissal doesn't seem to have dented his decades-long career much at all. Last summer he appeared as a lecherous grandfather on season 2 of "The White Lotus," which, according to Time Out, was filming as late as summer 2022, meaning he may have worked on the show after his exit from "Mythic Quest" was announced.
Abraham has not commented on the reports at this time, nor have the cast and crew of "Mythic Quest."