What you need to know
- 'Mythic Quest' creator Rob McElhenney sent a letter to the show's crew after its latest outbreak.
- A number of crew members were not satisfied with the producer's response.
Reported by Variety, tensions seem to be running high between the Mythic Quest crew and show creator Rob McElhenney. After the Apple TV+ series suffered another COVID-19 outbreak earlier this month, Rob McElhenney sent a message to the staff trying to reassure them that it was safe to come to work.
"For as alarming as this sounds, we have been expecting this for weeks," he wrote. "The numbers in the county are spiking and consequently our numbers are doing the same. But to date there remains ZERO evidence of any transmission at work. Our set continues to be one of the safest places you can be outside of your homes."
McElhenney's message went on to give crew members the option to stay at home if they did not feel comfortable coming to work.
"As we know, nothing is one hundred percent safe," he wrote. "It's all mitigated risk. Returning to work is a personal issue and I continue to encourage you all to make a personal decision. If, because of the current climate, you feel that you should not/cannot return tomorrow please let your department head know immediately so we can make arrangements for a replacement ASAP."
Some members of the crew did not respond well to the safety claim. One crew member had short but choice words to the message:
"That's horseshit," said one of those who tested positive. "Utter horseshit" ... He also said that he did not believe the production consciously put people at risk, but that there was pressure to get the show completed on schedule ... "I think it was in the final push to finish this show and get everybody off CBS Radford," he said.
Another crew member said that he is convinced he got sick at work due to a gradual breakdown in safety protocols in order to get the season done.
"This is our m.o. — get it done. That's what we do," said the crew member, who also tested positive. "But we can't go on standard operating procedure because people are getting sick ... Not a single person is surprised this spread like it did," he said. "I don't know how you can look at what we were doing… and say 'This is OK.'"
In response to the story from Variety, representatives for McElhenney responded with a statement from CTEH, the firm hired by the series to ensure the proper COVID-19 protocols were followed.
"The show has operated in full compliance with the extensive health and safety protocols in place and all the recommendations set forth by the CTEH team of scientists and health experts," the company stated.
McElhenney also provided a statement to Variety, saying that his safety claims were based on the science and with the guidance of the CDC, LA County, SAG/AFTRA, and the DGA.
"Our medical staff has made every effort to ensure the health and safety of our crew," he said. "We have all been working tirelessly to expedite the sharing of clear and accurate information in a timely manner. No decision was made nor information communicated without the science to support it. As all productions are seeing, it's impossible to mitigate one hundred percent of the risk. CTEH, our scientists and public health advisers, and our entire production team have followed all protocols put in place by the CDC, LA County, SAG/AFTRA and the DGA. We will continue to follow the science and work in the safest way possible. We are very proud of the diligence, patience and dedication of our cast and crew."
Hollywood has been attempting to keep production going safely through the pandemic in order to keep jobs and businesses afloat, but it is apparent that this has been a tough feat to pull off. Production on the new season of Mythic Quest resumed on Wednesday after an eleven-day shutdown.
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