Archer burst onto the scene in 2009,
"HEY!
PHRASING!"
winning a loyal FX audience and rave reviews from critics.
Adam Reed's spy spoof mixed James Bond with The Simpsons and the quick-fire bite of Arrested
Development.
With the time-hopping eighth season going full-on film noir, it's a perfect time to
head into the Danger Zone ...
"DANGER ZONE!"
… and reveal some facts you may not have known about Archer.
The Ghost Behind the Spy
Way back in 1994, Cartoon Network took a chance on an insane idea: a cartoon talk show hosted
by a throw-away superhero from the 1960s.
That's what gave birth to Space Ghost Coast to Coast.
That was the show that eventually spawned the insanity of the Adult Swim programming
block, which has since become a cultural force on television.
But it also led to the insanity of Archer many years later...
"This is about conducting espionage operations for years without any authority or permission
whatsoever from the U.S. government."
"Wait — what?
Mother!"
Archer showrunner Adam Reed got his start working on Space Ghost as a writer during
seasons four through six.
Reed then got to make his own show: Sealab 2021, a parody straight out of the Space Ghost
school of spoofing Hanna-Barbera cartoons.
The original 1972 show was Sealab 2020, an animated series set in the then-distant future,
where scientists lived under the sea and … that's all anyone remembers, because the show lasted
less than three months.
Reed's parody had a longer life, and for good reason: it was hilarious … and very Archer:
"Who needs X-Ray vision?
They'll beg to show their BLEEP to my robot."
All that spoofing of '60s and '70s cartoons sharpened Reed's comic voice, leading to Archer,
and thus, a legend was born …
Let's Be Real
Reed and executive producer Matt Thompson used the real-life faces of friends, acquaintances,
and industry pros from their home base of Atlanta to create the look of many Archer
characters.
As Vulture reported in 2013, Malory Archer is based on Atlanta actress — and Jessica
Walter doppelganger — Kathleen Cohen …
Sterling Archer comes from model Jason Fitzgerald ...
Atlanta antiques dealer Candi McElhannon is the face of Pam …
And Kynyetta Lester — a Hooters waitress Reed met after a monster truck rally — serves
as the model for Lana.
While Chris Parnell looks a lot like the character he voices, Cyril, he's actually not the model.
Instead, the animators turned to Atlanta restaurateur Stuart Fierman for inspiration.
Then there's Lucky Yates.
He voices Krieger, but he's actually the facial inspiration for Ray, who's in turn played
by show creator Adam Reed.
Confusing enough?
"What are we thinking?
What are we doing?"
"What are we wearing?"
"My crisis vest, Mr. Fatface."
As for Krieger, his face belongs to Ben Brieger, Reed's former college classmate, which is
how Krieger got his name.
Brieger volunteered his real name, but Reed altered it slightly, to give the man some
dignity ...
"Well, at least you got some closure."
"Which is more than I ever got."
"Oh, you are just your mother all over!"
Lucky's Early Years
Speaking of Lucky Yates, the voice behind Archer's mad scientist, Krieger, his first
high-profile acting gig was on … The Food Network?
It's true.
Yates played a wide variety of characters on Alton Brown's wacky cooking show Good Eats,
including a fishmonger, a butcher, and the infamous dungeon master …
"You've been a very bad dungeon master, and as punishment, I want you to go skim the moat."
"OHH!
Haha!
Lucky straw!"
In a Reddit "Ask Me Anything," Yates had nothing but praise for Brown, saying the famous foodie
is even more hilarious in real life.
Crossing the Line
Archer is undeniably edgy.
It's violent, sexually explicit, and unafraid to poke fun at, well, just about everything
"Nice job, Oliver Cromwell."
"I killed a pope!"
But believe it or not, some scenarios are forbidden even on Archer.
According to showrunner Adam Reed, one script had Archer disarming a terrorist by throwing
his baby boy, Seamus, at him.
This didn't sit well with the folks at FX, who told Reed:
"We're not a network that throws babies!"
A bold stance.
It wasn't the only time FX put up a fight.
In season two, a young German girl hits on Archer, and in the original script, she was
only 14.
FX said that was not okay.
Eventually, the two sides came to an agreement, settling for 16.
Amazingly, the age actually issue made it into the show:
"I am from Germany … where the age of consent is 14."
"What is it, the Alabama of Europe?"
"In many ways, yes."
Archer Imitating Life
In season four, Malory Archer married a car dealership owner named Ron Cadillac, much
to the chagrin of Sterling Archer.
Cadillac is voiced by Ron Liebman, who is not only Rachel's awful dad on Friends ...
"Why would you bring me sewage?"
… but is also actually married to Jessica Walter, who voices Malory.
The thespian couple has been hitched since 1983 and were both known more for their dramatic
work until late into their careers ...
"I don't know how to wrassle."
"That's alright.
She'll show you."
"Alright, boss."
Malory Archer would never stand for that ...
Krieger's Codes
When it comes to hidden jokes and messages, Archer is nearly unmatched.
Take, for example, the elaborate easter egg leading fans to Krieger's secret website.
It's complicated, but here's the gist: In season six, there's a brief shot of serial
number associated with the character Conway Stern.
If you plug that number into something called a hex code translator, you get the address
for a YouTube video.
From there, you have to fall far down the rabbit hole to get the Krieger's site, including
translating the sound in the YouTube clip into an additional code, then using that code
to make your way to a fake Craigslist ad, crack some more codes … and on and on.
Once you arrive, the username and password is, hilariously, "Krieger" and "guest."
Once you're logged in, you can play games, view images, and download Krieger's actual
in-show ringtone, "Teutonic Butts" ...
"I tried Cyril, Pam, Cheryl, now I'm even trying Krieger!"
"Where the hell is everybody?"
"Teutonic butts teutonic butts …"
It's a fitting, thoroughly bonkers tribute to a thoroughly bonkers character.
"Smokebomb!"
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