In April 2022, F. Murray Abraham suddenly left Mythic Quest, with Lionsgate only confirming his departure. Now, it’s been reported that the actor was let go from the show because of sexual misconduct complaints, and Lionsgate, the studio behind one of Apple TV+’s best series has responded to the allegations.
Rolling Stone reported that there were two concerns in regard to Abraham’s behavior. One resulted in the actor getting a warning, and being told he needed to stay away from Mythic Quest’s actresses. The second time the incident was brought to Rob McElhenney’s attention, and it was reported that after the Apple TV+ show’s creator and star learned about this, the actor behind C.W. Longbottom was let go. Lionsgate, the studio behind Mythic Quest, responded to the reports, saying:
We take allegations of misconduct seriously and investigate them thoroughly. As a matter of corporate policy, we do not discuss personnel actions.
At the moment, those involved with the show and Abraham himself have not commented on the reason he left Mythic Quest. However, when Season 3 of the comedy was premiering, McElhenney did talk about how C.W. Longbottom was written off the show, telling Variety:
It’s a bummer to not have Murray in this season. But we recognize that C.W. is a beloved character and obviously a huge part of the show. So, we made sure that we have a really fitting tribute to him. We definitely address it in a big way.
Abraham played the head writer of the game Mythic Quest, C.W. Longbottom, and the character acted quite inappropriately in the offices. To address the exit of one of the show's main players, they wrote in his departure into the first episodes of Season 3, which aired last fall. In the series, Longbottom discovered he had a terminal illness, so he decided to not return to the offices and drove off a cliff into the Grand Canyon.
Season 4 of Mythic Quest has been greenlit, and will likely premiere on the 2023 TV schedule. Abraham was completely written off the show, and will not return. However, he has been a part of many other series over the last year, and has a movie in the works.
Over the course of 2022, F. Murray Abraham starred in Season 2 of The White Lotus, joined the MCU as part of the Moon Knight cast where he voiced the Egyptian God of the Moon Khonshu, and was part of the ensemble for Guillermo Del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities. Throughout his career the actor has starred in massive movies, like one of Wes Anderson’s best films The Grand Budapest Hotel. He also won an Oscar in 1984 for Amadeus.
Lionsgate made it clear they do not talk about “personnel actions,” so details regarding Abraham’s exit have not been made public. However, as of right now, he was reportedly let go because of sexual misconduct. As more news comes out about why the actor being written off of Mythic Quest, we’ll be sure to keep you updated.
