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Writer's picturemadmysha

When did Archer start?

Anyone who knows me well, knows my favorite show is Archer. It's the bees knees. I speak fairly fluent Archer, which very few people understand, and that's ok. A friend doesn't watch the show, but she knows when I say something that doesn't make total sense to her, it's likely an Archer quote.


Archer is a half-hour long animated comedy series created by Adam Reed for the FX network. The first season premiered on Thursday, September 17, 2009, the show generally carries a TV-MA rating, though a few episodes are rated TV-14. Frequent Adam Reed collaborator Matt Thompson is the Executive Producer.


The inspiration behind Archer came to Reed while in a cafe in Salamanca, Spain. Finding himself unable to approach a beautiful woman seated nearby, Reed conjured up the idea of a spy who "would have a perfect line." Reed conceived the show's concept while walking along the Via de la Plata in 2008. His basic pitch was, "what if James Bond was played by Charlie Sheen as Charlie Sheen?" Being a longtime "rabid fan" of FX Network and its original programming, he pitched his idea to the network. They accepted it and ordered six episodes, along with an additional four scripts.


Season 1 consisted of 10 episodes, with the first episode airing September 17, 2009. The premise: The show is set in a unique universe at the International Secret Intelligence Service (ISIS), suave master spy Sterling Archer - complete with less-than-masculine codename: "Duchess*" (his mothers dogs name, though she insists it was chosen at random)- balances the demands of global espionage work for his domineering, hypersexual, late middle-aged mother/boss Malory Archer (and her crazy secretary Cheryl/Carol) with those of his agent ex-girlfriend Lana Kane and her on/off partner comptroller Cyril Figgis; the burly head of HR Pam Poovey, the insane scientist/inventor of dubious origins, Dr Krieger, and flamboyant information agent Ray Gillette.


The ISIS office is a notoriously "hostile work environment" - as insults fly in every direction - and the rule of thumb amongst the workers is ABBAB - always be berating and belittling.


On the surface, Sterling Archer is a classy, devilishly-handsome spy reminiscent of James Bond. He is skilled in "improvised" combat and Krav Maga, as well as small firearms, scuba diving and "Honey Pot" (blackmail through seduction, also the name of the 5th episode in the show). Although he is capable of being superficially charming and is highly regarded in the field, he is in fact destructively bitter and has a habit of charging outrageous expenses (such as prostitutes and $900 turtlenecks) to his ISIS account. Everyone loves to hate Archer (though I just love to love him). His less appealing qualities include masked "mommy-issues," jealousy towards Cyril, raw male-chauvinism, dehumanizing treatment of his elderly butler, Woodhouse, and his frequent verbal assaults on everyone in his path.


In March 2010, The FX Network ordered a 13-episode second season. Season 2 aired between January and April 2011 and FX announced that they had renewed Archer for a 13-episode third season which aired starting in September 2011. Season 3 concluded between January and March 2012 and a fourth season was ordered by FX for another 13 episodes which aired between January and April. The fifth season was ordered by FX in 2013 for another 13-episodes. Archer: Vice, aired between January and April, 2014.


Archer: Vice was the first season to break away from the episodic storytelling employed to date and experiment with a season-long arc, Archer Vice saw the beginnings of the dismantling of ISIS, a decision no doubt brought about due to the unfortunate sharing of their name with the newly formed terrorist organization in the real world.


A sixth season was ordered by FX in March 2014 for another 13 episodes which aired between January and April 2015. The ISIS sign is seen being rolled away at the beginning of the season as the team begin work as subcontractors for the CIA, further reinforcing the decision of the writers to distance the show from the tarnished acronym.


A seventh season was ordered by FX in March 2015, for a reduced run of 10 episodes. Season 7 aired between March and June, 2016. The gang moved their operations to Los Angeles and set up as private investigators working for the Figgis Agency.


The eighth, ninth and tenth seasons were ordered by FX in June 2016 for a further reduced run of 8 episodes each (super lame, we needed more than 8 episodes). Season 8, or Archer: Dreamland, aired between April and May 2017 Season 9, or Archer: Danger Island, aired between April and June 2018, Season 10, or Archer 1999, premiered May 29th and concluded July 31st. This is where we thought we had seen the last of Archer until there was an agreement for an 11th season, which premieres today, September 16, 2020!





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