For Mythic Quest stars Danny Pudi and Imani Hakim, it’s time to hit the reset button.
After three seasons of playing Brad Bakshi and Dana Bryant on Apple TV+‘s hit comedy, Season 4 is bringing some major shakeups to the team of video game creators with egos the size of small planets. The new season includes a return to the office for Ian (Rob McElhenney) and Poppy (Charlotte Nicdao) after unsuccessfully branching out with GrimPop in Season 3, Dana in control of her own destiny thanks to some big ideas, and Brad working with Jo (Jessie Ennis) to intimidate anyone who tries to get in Dana’s way. Elsewhere, Mythic Quest Studios EP David Brittlesbee (David Hornsby) is trying to manage the chaos and doing so incompetently.
With Dana on top and Brad firmly behind her at the beginning of the season, the new storylines and power dynamics make for an interesting challenge for Pudi and Bryant, who started the show in very different positions. In Season 1, Dana worked as a simple game tester while Brad was first the head of monetization, briefly imprisoned due to insider trading at the end of Season 3, and then the janitor at MQ just to see if he could climb the ladder from the bottom — what can we say, he loves a challenge.
Chatting with Decider about Season 4’s release and what the new batch of episodes has to offer, Pudi and Hakim shared that after two long years away, they’re excited for the fans to see what their characters are up to. They’re also ready for new relationships that have gone unexplored to be tapped into, including the one between their own characters.
“I think that our characters have evolved. I think this dynamic is really interesting because in some ways they’re opposites, right? I think Brad is drawn to Dana and her power and her ability to freely be herself everywhere all the time,” the Community alum shared.
“I love what this is,” Hakim shared, gesturing between herself and Pudi. “You know, they’re just like an unlikely pairing. And it was so much fun to work with Danny more in Season 4.”
And in a season that also explores work-life balance and finding true motivations, it’s an important lesson for Pudi and Hakim. For the latter — who broke onto the scene as Tonya in Everybody Hates Chris two decades ago — this season also brought new opportunities for growth as an artist, including her directorial debut. It’s even more of “a whirlwind” since she’s expecting her first child and is recently engaged.
“It was super exciting for me to check off the list of being able to direct. It’s been a dream of mine for so long and I think this is just a great introduction to that,” the actress shared, discussing Season 4, Episode 7. “There’s a lot of fantastic life stuff happening that I’m truly just — I’m so grateful and so excited to see what’s to come.”
Overall, the pair have much to celebrate in Season 4 and beyond — Pudi is also currently starring in FOX’s Going Dutch with Denis Leary and working on the highly-anticipated Community movie. It’s a wild and exciting time and the return of their beloved comedy is just the icing on the cake for the two.
As for what Mythic Quest Season 4 holds, keep reading for Decider’s full interview with the actors, including which AppleTV+ show they would most like to crossover with…
DECIDER: Big changes in store for the Mythic Quest team in Season 4, especially after the end of Season 3. Was there anything you were hoping would stick around from the last season?
IMANI HAKIM: Not really. I would say, selfishly, I really love the set piece of GrimPop. I just love the way it looks. So that would have been cool to see in Season 4. But it felt really nice to kind of get back to our roots in Season 4 and have us all back in the office and playing with the different pairings and dynamics. I love what this is. You know, they’re just like an unlikely pairing. And it was so much fun to work with Danny more in Season 4.
DANNY PUDI: Same, same.
And speaking of Season 4, What are you most excited for the fans to see? And was there something that your character gets to do this season that you were most excited for?
DANNY: I think that our characters have evolved. I think this dynamic is really interesting because in some ways they’re opposites, right? I think Brad is drawn to Dana and her power and her ability to freely be herself everywhere all the time. And I think for Brad, that is so threatening to reveal himself in any way, it’s vulnerable. He’s scared of being vulnerable. I think Dana’s very comfortable being vulnerable. And Brad, he wants everyone to embrace their inner villain. Right? And I think this was a season where a big question overall for the show was exploring balance, work-life […] And it’s just kind of chipping away a little bit and why he’s so afraid of being vulnerable. But it adds another kind of layer to him and I think humanizes in a nice way. And I think on the whole, I think that’s a lot of this show. This season, we kind of humanize here and there but then we ultimately get back to the office.
IMANI: Same old, same old.
DANNY: Same old doing this old thing again, you know what I mean?
Speaking of work-life balance, Imani, you’ve got a lot to celebrate right now. Engaged, expecting a baby. But also on the show, you directed an episode this season. How are you feeling at this current stage in your life and career, and how was it directing?
IMANI: What a whirlwind, really. I think 2024 was just like [gestures emphatically]. That’s how I feel. It was super exciting for me to check off the list of being able to direct. It’s been a dream of mine for so long and I think this is just a great introduction to that. A safe, creative space because we’ve been doing this show for a few years now. The producers are very supportive of just bringing us in and giving us opportunities to expand. It was just like a test and I think it went really well. I’m proud of the episode that I directed.
DANNY: Yeah, she did incredible.
IMANI: And I learned so much about myself including the fact that I can’t wait to direct again in the future. And then also, there’s a lot of fantastic life stuff happening that I’m truly just — I’m so grateful and so excited to see what’s to come. And that it’s all happening all at once. It’s just –it’s overwhelming but such a phenomenal feeling.
You’ve been in this industry for a while, did it change your relationship to acting? Did it make you look at something differently or give you a new lens?
IMANI: I think naturally it does. I’ve approached my acting from a certain way for so long and I think being behind the camera, it’s just gives you a greater appreciation of all the moving pieces that are happening. I already loved our crew, but there’s a different respect when you get to collaborate with them more directly. And also, I think the directing side informs my acting side, as well. I just approach character breakdown and scene breakdown much differently. And it makes me reach out to the community on set a lot more because actors are kind of shielded in a way. Whereas directing, your job is to bring people together and build this picture. It just inspired me to reach out more to the people behind the scenes.
Absolutely. Last question for you guys: Rob [McElhenny] just did an It’s Always Sunny and Abbott Elementary crossover. Is there an AppleTV+ show you would love the MQ team to cross paths with in a future season?
DANNY: I mean, I feel like Shrinking is a natural choice because I think we all need a lot of help. We got to talk through some problems here, let’s unpack a lot of our childhood. I know Brad needs that. Sneakily, I’m also kind of rooting for Silo because I know this is kind of weird but perhaps I just like this idea of us somehow being [deserted]. I’m not rooting for that kind of environment but I just like the world. I want to be in there maybe with holograms and stuff.
IMANI: I would almost add to that and say Severance. What would that look like? You have your versions of the MQ universe, you know, like, could you imagine our innies and outies?
DANNY: Would you be severed? Are you going to be severed?
IMANI: Dana? I don’t know. It could be fun. A fun exploration.
DANNY: I know Brad immediately is like, “Yes, sever me.” Brad, he’s hiding his whole outie. Brad’s outie! What if we meet out outies? Okay, yeah, Severance is the right answer.
The two episodes of Mythic Quest Season 4 is currently streaming on Apple TV+. New episodes release on Wednesdays.
