At first glance, Archer, the innovative new show on FX, seems
like it belongs on Adult Swim. This makes sense because Adam
Reed, the maker of this show, has been the creator behind two very successful shows on Adult Swim. While Archer is just as creative and edgy as Reed’s other shows, it faces the serious challenge on finding a large fan base among FX viewers.
The star of the show is Sterling Archer, a narcissistic spy for the International Secret Intelligence Service (ISIS) whose codename is Duchess. Archer is essentially an unrefined version of James Bond. He constantly insults everyone around him, and he takes chauvinism to a whole new level.
The show is similar to other comedies that are set in the workplace and it has some similarities to The Office in that sense. It is predominantly set in the ISIS building where Sterling Archer works and it deals with typical workplace topics. However, Archer’s workplace is definitely not typical and it makes all of the bad etiquette in The Office look like nothing.
For people who have never been fans of Adult Swim, it is admittedly difficult to even give Archer a chance and the pilot episode doesn’t exactly help things. However, the show does seem to get a little better in each successive episode.
The pilot episode of Archer was not quite as funny as the most recent episodes that have aired. It originally aired last year in Sept. as a sneak preview, but the show only recently started producing episodes again. Overall, it’s a good
decision to at least watch two or three episodes before forming an opinion of this show because while the pilot is a good representation of the show, it’s not the best.
In each episode, our main character deals with his overbearing mother who also happens to be his boss. He also deals with his various other co-workers in each episode. The show has a relatively large number of characters, and Reed clearly tried to make them all unique. Some important characters include Archer’s ex-girlfriend, Agent Lana Kane, and Agent Kane’s new boyfriend, Cyril Figgis.
Agent Lana Kane and Archer frequently fight with each other, and Cyril Figgis is the typical nerdy guy who somehow gets the attractive girls. Figgis is also the guy who probably takes the most verbal abuse from Archer.
The producers of the show apparently take roughly a month to create each episode. They first create initial drawings of the characters by using the voice actors as a guide. The overall look of the show is supposed to resemble a
comic book from the 1960s.
The show itself seems to mix elements of ‘60s culture with elements of current culture. For example, everyone seems to be wearing clothes from the ‘60s,
the computers look really old, but characters carry cell phones.
Overall, if you’re a fan of Adult Swim, and you’re looking for an edgy new show that is directed towards a more mature audience, then this show is definitely for you. The show does seem to cater to a fairly narrow-minded audience,
but it still has its funny moments for people who don’t like the style of the show.
Currently, Archer is expected to produce ten total episodes for this season, and it is likely that FX will drop the show unless it gains more viewers.
It seems that Archer could possibly turn into a cult classic rather than a long-running show, but there is still a good chance that it could be very successful.
If the show does end up lasting longer than one season, then expect it to have a relatively small, but loyal, fan base.