FX has ordered season five of its critically-acclaimed animated comedy series “Archer,” it was announced today by Nick Grad, Executive Vice President of Original Programming and Development, FX. The network has ordered 13 episodes for the series’ fifth season.
“Archer” was created by Adam Reed and Floyd County Productions and it is executive produced by Reed and Matthew Thompson. Seven all-new episodes of “Archer” remain in season four, which wraps up on Thursday, April 11 at 10:00 PM E/P. This year “Archer” will enter into the category of Outstanding Comedy Series for the Emmy Awards.
“‘Archer’ is one the very best comedy series on television,” said Grad. “Adam Reed, Matt Thompson and the incredible cast – H. Jon Benjamin, Aisha Tyler, Jessica Walter, Chris Parnell, Judy Greer, Amber Nash, George Coe, and Lucky Yates – are comedic geniuses. It is truly rewarding the way in which the audience and fans have embraced their work and that the ratings to continue to grow. The quality of ‘Archer’ is undeniable.”
When notified of the season five pick-up, Reed said, “Thank God.”
When Reed notified Thompson of the season five pick-up, Thompson replied, “Called it.”
“Archer,” an animated, half-hour comedy, revolves around the spy agency known as the International Secret Intelligence Service (ISIS) and the lives of its employees. Although their work of espionage, reconnaissance missions, wiretapping and undercover surveillances is daunting and enigmatic, every covert operation and global crisis are actually unmitigated occasions for the ISIS staff to undermine, sabotage and betray each other for personal gains and selfish pleasures.
The series features the voice of H. Jon Benjamin as the highly skilled yet incredibly vain master spy “Sterling Archer,” a role which garnered Benjamin an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance in 2010. The ensemble voice cast also includes Aisha Tyler as fellow agent provocateur “Lana Kane”; Jessica Walter as Sterling’s domineering mother and the rapacious CEO of ISIS, “Malory Archer”; Chris Parnell as the easily intimidated comptroller of ISIS, “Cyril Figgis”; Judy Greer as Malory’s loquacious secretary, “Cheryl Tunt”; Amber Nash as the discordant director of human resources for ISIS, “Pam Poovey”; series creator Adam Reed as the gay voice of reason at ISIS, “Ray Gillette”; Lucky Yates as ISIS’s possibly mad scientist, “Krieger”; and George Coe as Archer’s elderly and always exploited butler, “Woodhouse.”
