There is more cause for celebration in the Archer camp today, as the show follows up its rare double season order with a Comedy Central syndication deal. Having confirmed production of the sixth and seventh season of the award-winning animated comedy, FX’s grand plans for Archer continue apace, with a move that will hopefully bring the bumbling international spy agency to a brand new set of audiences.
In a development that mirrors its live-action FX sibling, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, Archer will find its off-network home with Comedy Central, now that they have agreed terms with Twentieth Television. Those terms cover all five existing seasons of the show, as well as a commitment to future seasons – which is good news for new and potential audiences, who may be slightly confused by the current fifth season Archer Vice re-vamp. With an exclusive pre-midnight window for the first two years of the deal, and four seasons of the original cold-war-style, espionage-themed Archer to play with, re-runs are inevitable, and the whole thing can commence from May 2015. The first two years of the deal also feature a post-midnight exclusivity window for FXX, after which time, exclusive windows will close.
Created by Adam Reed in 2009 – allegedly in response to being unable to approach a beautiful woman in a Spanish café – Archer follows the exploits of ISIS. This international spy agency is run by Malory Archer from its New York City base above a launderette, and its field operations are headed up by her overly-confident, narcissistic son, Sterling Archer. The cast includes H. Jon Benjamin, Aisha Tyler, Jessica Walter, Judy Greer, Amber Nash and Chris Parnell, with many notable guest stars lining up to join in. Past episodes have included the vocal stylings of Burt Reynolds, Timothy Olyphant, Bryan Cranston, Peter Serafinowicz, George Takei, Ron Perlman, Jon Hamm, and Christian Slater.
Season five of Archer came to an end in April 2014, and featured the ISIS crew – having been disbanded by the government – embarking on a life of crime, and trying to sell a “literal tonne of cocaine” to pay for early retirement. Seasons 6 and 7 – consisting of 13 episodes each – will roll into production later in the year.
