Side Quest Series Review

Side Quest (2025)

Mini-series - 4 episodes
Rent Side Quest on Amazon Video (paid link)
Created by: Ashly Burch, John Harris, Katie McElhenney
Starring: Rob McElhenney, William Stanford Davis, Esai Morales
Rated: TV-MA
Watch the trailer

Plot
A spin-off of Mythic Quest featuring the lives of the employees, players, and fans who interact with the video game.

Verdict
A helpful prerequisite for this show is Mythic Quest. This continues the several one off episodes from the series that were dramatic instead of comedic. These episodes are interesting but not required. Only one episode has a direct connection to the characters in the series. While each has a focus, the delivery is muddled. I liked the first and third episodes best.
It depends.

Review
The original series followed a video game studio as it maintained the most popular online game. This series looks at how far the game reaches. It's a nice coda to the main series as it's since been canceled. Mythic Quest had one serious episode every season that was basically a Side Quest episode. These episodes were always dramatic and poignant. This takes the concept and makes it an anthology mini-series.

With episode one we follow concept artist Phil who we saw in the main series. He struggles with a work life balance as Ian disregards and goes to increasing lengths to contact Phil who is on vacation

In episode two we follow the happenings at a comic store and the new issue of the Mythic Quest comic.

Episode three follows a member of the orchestra that creates the music for the game. It's such a cool angle as we see a cellist obtain her dream job only to lose it. Her affinity for music dissipates, but she manages to develop an appreciation all over again.

Episode four follows a raiding group as they gather after a long hiatus. They've grown up, leaving the game behind. It's less engaging as the previous episodes as it's all in game footage.

These episodes are a fun offshoot of the main series, only tangentially related. I'd certainly watch more if they made them, but the original series used the one-off episodes to provide backstory for characters or to create a parallel story. This series doesn't have a foundation on which to build.