What is Good Mythical Morning?
“Good Mythical Morning,” commonly referred to as GMM by fans of the show (who are nicknamed Mythical Beasts,) is a Monday to Friday Youtube show hosted by Rhett McLaughlin and Charles Lincoln (Link) Neal. Topics of episodes can range from eating new and exciting food creations (either tasty or gag-inducing,) crazy “science” experiments, games like darts, shuffleboard, and mini golf, or even just Rhett and Link talking to each other.
While the first episode of GMM aired on Jan. 9, 2012, Rhett and Link had already dabbled in Youtube shows prior to this, with “Good Morning Chia Lincoln” launching around a year earlier on Jan. 3, 2011. (Rhett and Link had also been producing an assortment of content prior to this, but this post is primarily focused on GMM.) On “Good Morning Chia Lincoln,” Rhett and Link would give their opinions on news stories or personal stories. “Good Morning Chia Lincoln” seems like a strange name for a talk show, but it makes perfect sense once you learn that they used a chia pet of Abraham Lincoln’s head as a centerpiece. The Lincoln chia pet ended up being the downfall of the show, as the show was cancelled on Feb. 28, 2011 after chia Lincoln died.
Like mentioned earlier, season one of “Good Mythical Morning” was released on Jan. 9, 2012. GMM ran for three seasons until April 5, 2013, when they announced a new show that would be replacing GMM for a short time. This show was “The Mythical Show,” and was only released every Thursday, instead of the Monday to Friday episodes of GMM. However, “The Mythical Show” episodes were longer than GMM episodes, usually around 30 minutes in length, with GMM episodes averaging 13 minutes. “The Mythical Show” generally featured guest stars and still implemented key elements of GMM. The twelfth and final episode of “The Mythical Show” aired on July 11, 2013, but brought with it announcement of a fourth GMM season.
Season Four of “Good Mythical Morning” was posted to Youtube on Sept. 3, 2013 and brought with it the start of a fan-favorite game: Taste Tests. The Taste test format usually involves Rhett and Link being blindfolded and then fed food, and then having to guess what food it was, what restaurant it was from, etc. The Taste Test episodes led way for other food related content, variations of the classic taste tests, and a wide range of other games.
Jan. 8, 2014, or the start of season five of GMM brought along something special: The addition of “Good Mythical More.” “Good Mythical More” is known as “the show after the show,” and is an extra episode after the main show, “Good Mythical Morning.” “Good Mythical More” was a way for Rhett and Link to keep the same style of the original episodes of GMM, which usually had a more relaxed, conversational theme, as GMM started to have more structure to it. “Good Mythical More” has continued to this day, and is a favorite for Mythical Beasts who miss the old school style of Rhett and Link.
There were then seven and a half more seasons of GMM until something super big changed. Halfway through season 12 (episode 53 to be specific,) Rhett and Link and the Mythical Crew announced a change in the structure of GMM. They were going to be releasing four different episodes of GMM; one main episode which was normal length, then three more episodes all around five minutes in length. There was also “Good Mythical More” in addition to this, so really five episodes daily.
Mythical Beasts were not pleased by this new format. Many felt like the quality of the episodes decreased and they would rather have good quality over increased quantity. Some Mythical Beasts also said that it didn’t feel like GMM anymore and it had lost the authentic, homey vibe everyone was used to. Rhett and Link and the Mythical Crew listened to everyone’s thoughts and parted ways with the extended format after season 13 ended, just two days shy of six months with the extended format.
Now in its 19th season, “Good Mythical Morning” is still alive and thriving. At the time of writing this, Rhett and Link have released 1883 episodes of GMM, which is a crazy number of episodes. Even though GMM has gone through changes and evolved from what it started as, it has always remained mythical and a safe space for Mythical Beasts to turn to, something I think Mythical Beasts everywhere are happy about.
“The Mythical Show.” Rhett and Link Wiki, rhettandlink.fandom.com/wiki/The_Mythical_Show.
“Rhett and Link.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 23 Mar. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhett_&_Link.
