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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed shows.

Archer

EMAILPRINTSERIES: FX, Thursday 10:30p (30 minutes)

Archer
78
9.1 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 20 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 65 votes
Read user comments
Rate this show >

Show Info

Genre(s): Animation, Comedy

Created By: Adam Reed

First Air Date: January 14, 2010

Summary

Starring Jon Benjamin, Jessica Walter, Aisha Tyler, Chris Parnell, and Judy Greer

The animated comedy from the same people who brought you Adult Swim introduces Sterling Archer, a spy for ISIS, whose boss is also his mother and his ex-girlfriend is a fellow spy. A sneak peak of episode one was shown in September 2009.

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

New York Daily NewsDavid Hinckley

Archer is the rare show that's in love with its own wordplay and good enough that this love becomes endearing rather than annoying.

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83

Entertainment WeeklyKen Tucker

This wittily raunchy spy spoof from Adam Reed (Sealab 2021, Frisky Dingo) features intentionally stiff cartoon characters led by the title hero.

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83

Boston HeraldMark A. Perigard

This spy spoof hits a bull’s-eye with risque snark and one of the best vocal casts assembled for any animated series.

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80

SalonHeather Havrilesky

Archer is funny. If you don't agree after the first episode, keep watching. You might try drinking a little coffee or having a doughnut before you tune in, though, because the zingers fly by pretty quickly.

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80

TimeJames Poniewozik

The first episode is, maybe to grab the young-guy audience, heavier on the sexplay and lighter on the laughs. But two or three episodes in, the characters and dynamics come together, and the show really begins to kill. Literally and figuratively, but mostly figuratively.

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80

Kansas City StarAaron Barnhart

With its demented story lines, idiotic characters, out-of-control banter and fantastic send-ups of a spy genre that had seemingly been overspoofed already, Archer is destined to put another feather in the cap of FX.

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80

Zap2it (Inside the Box)Rick Porter

It's fun, but it's best in moderation.

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80

Miami HeraldGlenn Garvin

Archer is a millennial (and very much R-rated) "Get Smart" that acerbically and hilariously plays on our post-9/ll fears that "U.S. government intelligence" might be a grim oxymoron.

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80

Newark Star-LedgerAlan Sepinwall

I've seen five Archer episodes--and laughed frequently and loudly at all five.

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80

TV GuideMatt Roush

I got many more sustained belly laughs out of the show that follows Sunny in an under-the-radar sneak preview.

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80

VarietyBrian Lowry

Based on this preview, though, Archer gives FX something that the drama-heavy channel hasn't enjoyed for awhile--namely, a sharp comedic arrow in its quiver.

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80

Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert

I like Archer because it succeeds where so many of the snarky animated series tend to fail. Reed and his writers and voice actors balance all the pop satire and raunch with a strong sense of the characters.

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75

NewsdayVerne Gay

Suffice it to say, keep the kids away, but you will laugh - and feel guilty about it afterward.

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75

People WeeklyTom Gliatto

While the show's humor can be raunchy or even cruel, the voice work is pure unruffled deadpan. [18 Jan 2010, p.42]

75

USA TodayRobert Bianco

Archer is not for everyone, and certainly not for anyone whose idea of risque is "Get Smart." But do yourself one favor: Don't decide it's not for you until you have watched an entire episode, because you just may find the good outweighs the excessive.

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75

San Francisco ChronicleTim Goodman

Though future episodes don't quite measure up to the brilliant pilot, Archer nurtures a collection of recurring themes that pile up and become funnier the more they are referenced through the episodes.

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75

Chicago Sun-TimesPaige Wiser

The show is fast, funny and smart, although it stoops a little low for punchlines; I could do without the fat jokes and the cheap shot at Indira Gandhi. But the random humor pays off more often than not.

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75

Chicago TribuneMaureen Ryan

Suffice to say that Archer will probably appeal to viewers who like their comedy literate, demented and subversive.

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70

Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen

Archer may be crude but it's far more clever than last fall's disappointing "Testees," and "Archer" wins points with its observational humor about modern life and in its mocking of mundane workplace minutiae, such as computer passwords and the lack of security at a spy agency.

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60

Hollywood ReporterBarry Garron

The new series boasts eye-catching animation and dollops of sex and violence but only enough humor to elicit occasional chuckles. If you eliminate the references to sexual perversions, even the smiles are few and far between.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this show is 9.1 (out of 10) based on 65 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Linda W. gave it a9:
I wasn't sure how I felt about after watching the first episode, but after seeing the next two. I am sold! Archer is very funny! I went back and watched the first one again and they all crack me up! This one is a keeper!

Mike B gave it a9:
Funniest new show in years. Endorsed.

Dirk Van Z gave it a10:
Funniest animation series in a long time... Hyper-irreverent and snarky with stylish retro-cartoonish feel. Only drawback: it pales in comparison to the real-life satire of recent U.S. intel services blunders.

Aziz D gave it a10:
I am a 23 y.o. male, and i grew up with Southpark, and Family Guy. but This Show is so Far past the Idiacrocy that made those two Funny for me. The Language is a lttle stronge for Kids, but i have not seen anything this Great in a long Time. I literally have Teared from laughing so Hard. This is one of the greatest animation adult comedies i have ever seen... I am Literally Looking forward to every episode. Keep up the Great work.

[anonymous] gave it a9:
hilarious, but some jokes missed the punchline. still funny, but not as funny as they could be. i think it will definitely keep getting better and better. my new fav. show until Rescue Me 's next season

Beau B gave it a9:
If you like Fisky Dingo you are going to love Archer. One of the funniest shows on TV

Chris C gave it a4:
I tried to watch the show a couple times. I couldn't stand the stereotypical main character or the obnoxious sophmoric humor at all.

Read more user comments >

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