Character development, unique premise make FX show best of its kind
Despite all of the clever, satirical, animated shows aired on Fox, Comedy Central and Adult Swim, FX currently holds the crown for having the best animated comedy on television. While other animated comedies take a stab at society in general, “Archer” has a more focused target: spy films and the American corporate workplace.
The show revolves around the employees at the International Secret Intelligence Service (ISIS), who constantly jockey with each other for sex, power and romance. The top agent is Sterling Archer (H. Jon Benjamin), who is a very egotistical, prolific killer constantly chasing skirts. The agency is owned by Archer’s borderline alcoholic mother, Malory (Jessica Walter). Other recurring characters in the show include Lana (Aisha Tyler), Archer’s curvy, sensible super agent ex-girlfriend, and Pam (Amber Nash), the sarcastic, sex-addicted administrator, described by co-workers as a brawny lesbian.
In its second season on FX, the show has continued to amuse. The necessities for enjoying an adult comedy show like “Archer” include a taste for incongruous humor and an appreciation for silly office politics. The show is like Roger Moore’s James Bond films, only raunchier, constantly using jokes about sex, alcohol and dysfunctional office relationships.
“Archer” establishes itself as a cartoon spy action thriller while having the feel of a workplace comedy. In the first season, the story focused mainly on the changing relationships within the agency. After the first episode of season two, it appears that the second season will focus on the title character’s sexually fraught relationship with his mother and his newly-found illegitimate son.
Creator Adam Reed, who is also behind Adult Swim’s “Frisky Dingo” and “Sealab 2021,” successfully manages to fill the show with ingenious pop satire and fill the shoes of FX’s “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” The writing is both clever and vulgar and mainly focuses on tweaking the mortifications and absurdities of corporate America. The script continues the show’s running gags without sacrificing the the comedic wit and dedication to character development. Some of the jokes, like Pam’s weight problems are a little out of place, but nonetheless hilarious.
Surprisingly, “Archer” contains a shocking amount of depth, considering it is based around juvenile sex jokes. Each character within the agency is deeply damaged and reveals bits of history to back up their issues. These issues affect the characters’ missions and conflict with their relationships within their working environment.
The show also features the best voice acting in an animated series currently aired on television. Benjamin’s dry, monotonous voice complements Archer’s egotistical persona. While Benjamin in particular deserves praise, all of the voice actors manage to provide appropriate voices to match the show’s tone.
Its strong writing and witty, raunchy humor make “Archer” the funniest animated comedy on television, featuring the type of adult, sexually explicit humor for which networks like Comedy Central and Adult Swim would kill.