Owning a business isn’t easy, especially when it’s an intelligence agency run by a bunch of malignant narcissists who get to travel the world as secret agents with a limitless bankroll. Archer enthusiastically proves that point by pulling back the curtain on the inner workings of an agency that fails more missions than its legal team can settle.
Across 14 seasons, Archer goes through plenty of permutations, but its core sense of humor never wavers.
Archer’s Chaotic Chemistry
To understand Archer, just pick any episode from the first four seasons and you’ll fall in love with the dynamic.
At its center is Sterling Archer (H. Jon Benjamin), a narcissist of the highest order who also happens to be the most skilled agent the International Secret Intelligence Service (ISIS) has to offer. Reporting directly to his perpetually drunk mother, Malory (Jessica Walter), Archer can do whatever he wants.
He’s got an on-again, off-again relationship with Lana Kane (Aisha Tyler), a strong, independent woman who still can’t help herself when he turns on the charm, despite his emotionally abusive tendencies. Cyril Figgis (Chris Parnell), the agency’s accountant, resents Sterling Archer because he’s secretly in love with Lana and actively tries to sabotage him whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Pam Poovey (Amber Nash), a foul-mouthed slave to her impulses, runs HR alongside Cheryl Tunt (Judy Greer), a trust fund baby working as Malory Archer’s assistant. Meanwhile, Dr. Algernop Krieger (Lucky Yates) lurks in the ISIS basement, conducting morally questionable experiments when he’s not airbrushing his van with Rush album art or trying to learn “YYZ” on drums.
A Melting-Pot Of Petty Vengeance
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If you enjoy the humor of Seinfeld or It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Archer is their animated counterpart. Every character is awful, and that’s the charm. They stumble into chaos, manipulate each other out of it, and leave behind an unspeakable trail of collateral damage in the process.
If there’s one episode that captures the show’s madness, it’s Season 2’s “Placebo Effect.” When Archer is diagnosed with cancer and discovers his chemo drugs were swapped for sugar pills by the Irish mob, he launches a Rambo-style revenge mission.
Along the way, he abuses medicinal marijuana, documents his rampage, and begins chemo mid-mission, making himself violently ill. Lana joins him on the job, berating him the whole way for having a death wish. If you can watch this episode without laughing, the show’s not for you. If you’re gasping for air, start from the beginning.
Past Is Prologue
Archer’s humor lands so well because creator Adam Reed cut his teeth on Frisky Dingo, the short-lived Adult Swim series that ran from 2006 to 2008. Archer’s prototype, Xander Cruz, shares the same playboy arrogance but lacks H. Jon Benjamin’s vocal brilliance. The rapid-fire jokes, abrupt pauses, and scene-hopping chaos are all there, making Frisky Dingo a worthy precursor worth checking out.
That same brand of humor carries through every season of Archer. Though the settings and storylines evolve, the personalities and comedic rhythm always stays sharp. The chaos may change shape, but the chemistry never does.
Archer is streaming on Netflix.
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