Archer is a fairly new FX show that airs at 10 PM Thursday nights on FX. It stars H. Jon Benjamin as Sterling Archer, a mostly idiotic spy working for an agency staffed by imbeciles and run by his mother. He’s usually an asshole to everyone he meets, which at first makes you not like his character, until a few episodes in you realize sometimes he just doesn’t know better, while other times if he doesn’t act that way nothing will get done. He also seems to really like hookers.
The show is written and was created by Adam Reed and Matt Thompson. The men behind two of Adult Swim’s great 11-minute shows of past, Frisky Dingo and Sealab 2021. They also worked together on Space Ghost: Coast to Coast.
YAY :
- While it may have its slower moments Archer is a damn funny show. The relationship he has with each character in the office is unique and hilarious. It recently just became the third FX comedy ever to get renewed for a second season. So fans of the show can be excited about that.
- The voice cast is amazing. As I mentioned, Archer is played by H. Jon Benjamin, a man whose voice you’ve surely heard if you’ve watched Adult Swim before. His mother Malory is played by Jessica Walter, the Bluth’s mother in Arrested Development. Archer’s ex-girlfriend and fellow spy Lana is voiced by Aisha Tyler. Office comptroller and Lana’s current boyfriend is voiced by SNL alum Chris Parnell. And Malory’s secretary, Cheryl or Carol (whatever she decides to call herself) is voiced by Judy Greer, who had a multi-episode guest spot on Arrested Development.
NAY :
- This is slightly nit-picky, but to me this is the tamest show the duo of Reed/Thompson have done. I know the show is on a different network and at 10PM instead of 1AM or something like that, but even the premise itself isn’t as out there. It’s almost as if FX said “We like your work, we just need you to tone down the weird”.
There you go. Archer is a very funny show with a great cast of characters. The only mildly bad thing to me is that I think people familiar with the creators former work might be disappointed by how tame it seems in comparison. But for people who don’t normally watch Adult Swim this type of cartoon should seem fresh.
An out-of-order (I don’t think the order is too important) four-episode block starts tonight at 10PM on FX for those who’ve missed the show so far. A new episode will air next week.
