Over the course of the past few years, the characters of Archer have been barred from their original occupation as spies at Isis (a name the writers and network have, understandably, tried to keep at a distance as of late). Instead, they’ve formed a drug cartel in the fifth season (subtitled Archer: Vice), returned to espionage as CIA freelancers and now relocated to Los Angeles as private investigators. That change in industry could have gone in a number of different directions, but according to series creator, primary writer, and voice actor Adam Reed, the eventual decision was obvious.



Life of spy: the return of Archer Read more

“It was a natural transition, like when a cop retires and becomes head of campus security,” he says, while describing the show’s new trappings, including new clothing, classic cars and a modish office. Reed became enamored with the aesthetic of “older LA”, the film noir, James Ellroy side of the city, which contributed to the shape of this season’s main story, involving an aging movie star with a sensitive secret and a lawyer voiced by comedian Patton Oswalt. “It’s good to shake up the dynamic every once in awhile, even if characters are going to subvert it at their first opportunity,” says Reed.

The primary subversion of the show’s dynamic, however, has come from within: Sterling Archer, the protagonist, has morphed from a “self-centered bastard with occasional flashes of empathy” to a relatively competent father and partner to long-term love interest Lana Kane. (He’s still just as much of a pain to his mother, Malory, played by Arrested Development’s Jessica Walter.)

This version of Archer continues to run roughshod over others, but as more of a pastime than a primary mode of being. Reed describes this process as unconscious, something that “sort of happened accidentally”.

Reed cautiously credits much of the show’s character evolution to an unlikely source: FX itself. “Although I hate to admit it, their notes have been excellent since episode one, and they really make us dig a little deeper,” he says, half begrudgingly. “Maybe they have slowly nudged me to nudge Archer to mature.” One thing Reed does credit himself with: leaving some of the show’s long-running plots drifting in the breeze. “I forget about things, or I forget to pick up a thread that I have dangled, which is maybe not the best thing for a writer.” For all that this tendency can lead to loose ends at the conclusion of a season, it also allows characters and missions to return in new and surprising ways.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest ‘OK, who forgot the Milk Tray?’ Archer: PI. Photograph: FX Networks

Growing layers of history have made Archer more grounded, particularly when it comes to the sort of shenanigans that characterized its early seasons. Clinically insane, sociopathic cyborg Barry used to be the show’s primary antagonist, teasing at long-term schemes and plots, but when he shows up now, it’s more as comic relief (“It’s like, I can’t believe we used to hang out with this guy”). And the more these outlandish elements come up against the relatively straightforward casework that defines Archer: PI so far, the more ridiculous those characters will seem in contrast. Reed laughs: “I think Barry will eventually end up as a thumb drive, and there’ll be an episode where they have to go download him into the Norad supercomputer.”

Barry is just one member of a cast of recurring characters that by now extends far beyond the employees of the agency formerly known as Isis. Take Ron Cadillac, Malory’s hyper-practical husband. “Ron’s in for the long haul,” Reed says. “His job is on autopilot, so he just likes to hang out and see what the idiots are up to.” It’s a simple addition to the cast, but one that allowed for substantial changes and recharging of the show’s fundamental comic engine. Other characters could take on similar roles. Reed singles out Cheryl’s philanthropic if unintelligent brother Cecil (voiced by Eugene Mirman), who made one brief appearance in the show’s fourth season finale before disappearing.

I think Barry will eventually end up as a thumb drive, and they'll have to go download him into the Norad supercomputer

Cecil, Reed says, could appear as an investor in the cast’s new private investigator firm – just one of the possible ways old characters could be slotted into the show’s infinitely malleable premise (essentially, “people arguing”.) Reed has long joked about having the characters open a restaurant, forcing the stress to power the season – a development that could also lead to the reappearance of Lance Casteau, the presumed (but not confirmed) dead “Bastard Chef” voiced by Anthony Bourdain.

All of these in-jokes could seem like so much fan service, but Reed doesn’t see it that way. “It seems important to have a persistence to their universe,” he says. Besides, that history enables all sorts of jokes. “For me, one of the most frustrating things is when someone brings up something from a really long time ago that you did wrong. So this is kind of more fuel for their bickering, and it also helps remind the viewer, and these characters, that they sort of have a long history together.”

Has Reed gotten bored with the characters over the course of that long history? Not in the least. “I’m crazy about them,” he laughs. “I wouldn’t want them to be my real-life friends, but I enjoy spending time with them living in my computer.” Besides, if Reed has anything to say about it, Archer has quite a few years and reinventions left in the tank (the characters will remain private investigators for the foreseeable future, but that doesn’t preclude another change in profession). “I have mapped out how I personally want the show to end, and what I want the final season to be,” he says. “I’m just hoping that’s far down the road, rather than right now.”

Archer returns Thursday 10pm ET on FX