April 18, 2023
Oscar-winning actor F. Murray Abraham's departure last year from the Apple TV+ comedy series "Mythic Quest" was related to allegations of sexual misconduct, production sources confirmed to Rolling Stone.
Abraham, the 83-year-old screen and stage actor, had been a key character on the series led by "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" creators Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day and writer Megan Ganz.
The series centers around a video game company that's under pressure to sustain the success of its massively popular franchise. McElhenney stars as the company's creative director. Abraham's C.W. Longbottom, who appeared in the show's first two seasons, played the company's egocentric head game writer, who struggled to relate to his younger colleagues.
On Monday, Rolling Stone reported that Abraham was let go from "Mythic Quest" following at least two sexual misconduct allegations. The first incident reportedly resulted in Abraham being warned to stay away from some of the show's actresses. When McElhenney learned of a second incident, Abraham was cut loose.
“We take allegations of misconduct seriously and investigate them thoroughly," the show's studio, Lionsgate, said in a statement to Rolling Stone. "As a matter of corporate policy, we do not discuss our personnel actions.”
Before Abraham ended his run on "Mythic Quest," The Ringer had described his character as a "walking cry for sensitivity training." At the time of Abraham's departure, Lionsgate told Vanity Fair he would not be returning, but declined to comment on the reason for his exit.
At the beginning of the show's third season, C.W. Longbottom was killed off in epic fashion as he drove off a cliff in the Grand Canyon and then had his remains launched into space. McElhenney had told Variety it was "a bummer" not to have Abraham back, but that he wanted Longbottom to have a fitting end to his character arc on "Mythic Quest."
Abraham has since gone on to star in the second season of HBO's satirical comedy anthology series "The White Lotus," playing Bert Di Grasso, a womanizing grandfather known for his inappropriate remarks.
Abraham won an Academy Award for Best Actor for the 1984 film "Amadeus," in which he played Antonio Salieri, the jealous and vengeful composer rival to Tom Hulce's Mozart. He also had memorable roles in "All the President's Men" and "Scarface," with more recent appearances in the Disney+ miniseries "Moon Knight" and "Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities" on Netflix.
