Talk:Archer (2009 TV series)

Page contents not supported in other languages.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Good articleArcher (2009 TV series) has been listed as one of the Media and drama good articles under the good article criteria. If you can improve it further, please do so. If it no longer meets these criteria, you can reassess it.
Article milestones
DateProcessResult
July 4, 2018Good article nomineeListed

Add this crossover someone[edit]

There's a 4m12s crossover/promo featuring Sterling Archer driving an animated Conan O'Brien around that was produced for season 6. Presumably this aired at the start of O'Briens show as it ends with Archer dropping him off (or actually kicking him out) at the studio door and O'Brien entering. Seems to be O'Brien doing his own vioce acting. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 49.197.245.7 (talk) 14:14, 20 June 2018 (UTC)[reply]

THAT Cliffhanger[edit]

There seams to be a little bit of confusion. The article about season 8 says:

"This season resolves the cliffhanger from last season, which ended with Archer floating lifeless in a swimming pool after being shot several times."

Whereas the article about season 9 says:

"This means that the fate of Archer, who was found shot in actress Veronica Deane's pool at the conclusion of season seven, will remain a mystery"

What is correct and in which way? 178.24.161.220 (talk) 08:22, 27 April 2018 (UTC)[reply]


Time period[edit]

In episode two, Archer mentions Oprah. II think that cuts through a lot of the speculation about the time period. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Snookumz (talkcontribs) 04:24, 2 February 2010 (UTC)[reply]

He also references Dane Cook, Crime Scene Investigation, and Kenny Loggins. There still is a debate about whether or not the show runs on a Moebius Strip or not, as it would appear odd that Woodhouse is, by default, at least in his 90's (since he served in World War I and Mallory would be in her late 70's to early 80's. It seems to be an interesting argument. Has Adam Reed spoken about the setting at all? Maybe we can have a reference? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.237.88.71 (talk) 03:41, 4 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Reed clarified this in the AV Club interview used as a reference in the article. --TorriTorri(talk/contribs) 03:59, 5 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]
i think now we can say that the time period is one created just for the show. As its been said above they refer to modern culture, use modern device however they also have computers from the 80s. there are other examples. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.218.99.138 (talk) 17:53, 10 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]
also woodhouse is a WW1 vetren. so hes either atkeast atleast 108 or archer is set in a psydotimline —Preceding unsigned comment added by 90.213.150.218 (talk) 20:35, 30 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]
MP 40 submachine guns are used many times on the show, a gun mainly used in WWII. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 118.92.251.193 (talk) 21:46, 24 August 2011 (UTC)[reply]

There has been no mention of Woodhouse's actual age, however, Archer did say "What, arent you like a 100 or something?" in one of the very early episodes of Season 1. (must rewatch season 1 to find the exact episode) I would take this to mean that Woodhouse is indeed over 100 years old. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.166.155.113 (talk) 06:02, 11 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]


—–Hell i think the time frame is modern. I think the heavily dated equipment, like the mid 70's filing cabinets and carpet; also the 1987 era green monochrome; the mid 90's office phones, is just for an ironic comic relief. The "best" spy agency in the world uses heavily out dated equipment; and has failed to modernize the building in 30+years just adds more humor to the show. I think this adds a lot to the show. But if you notice that in the sat room or com room which ever you may call it, they use very modern equipment to track and locate Archer. There are some reference to Malory being a cheep scape by cutting back on funding to the modern equipment. Rippey574 (talk) 10:18, 8 January 2012 (UTC)[reply]

However they also mention the KGB and communitst russia. Again i belive that the time peroid is a unquie one not based in reality. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.16.112.252 (talk) 17:30, 6 February 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Also, cars are almost universally 1960s models. I appreciate the ironic idea that the agency's equipment is so outdated, but as a fan, I believe the "pseudo-timeline" concept (for lack of better "phrasing") is most likely. I think it's just another way to make the show unique and quirky, FWIW.Jororo05 (talk) 17:36, 9 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

I just re-watched the beginning of the episode cited for them not knowing what year it is and didn't see any thing of the sort around the 2 minute mark. I believe the episode to be incorrectly cited and the statement actually in need of citation (as it specifically mentions two episodes)98.165.109.38 (talk) 04:58, 30 April 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Around two minutes into the episode cited (Season 3 Episode 8, "Lo Scandalo"), Mallory says, "What year do you think this IS?" and Archer looks at the camera and replies, "I, uh, yeah, exactly. Good question." So it's seems like the show is clearly poking fun at itself for being so anachronistic. But what IS the second episode? The sentence says that there are at least two, and only one is cited.St.JohnBosco (talk) 22:23, 28 July 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Cast Writing[edit]

It is terribly written. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.74.200.239 (talk) 23:45, 28 August 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Suggestions to fixing it? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.237.88.71 (talk) 03:38, 4 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Similarities[edit]

Why is it not mentioned that the humor and catch phrases are largely borrowed from Frisky Dingo. Archer is essentially Xander Crews with Jon's voice instead of Adam's. Instead there are comparisons to arrested development and madmen? Whoever maintains this page desperately needs to see Frisky Dingo. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.250.57.53 (talk) 00:33, 8 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Why not add a comment in the production section that Adam Reed borrows heavily from the Frisky Dingo phrases used. You don't have to comment about it here. You can do it on there. If someone else feels you are wrong, they'll just delete it.

Is there a source for this? --TorriTorri(talk/contribs) 03:58, 5 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Fans of Dingo will and have easily recognized the artistic similarities. There is absolutely no need to draw a reference to this statement when the proof stands within the presentation. 76.237.88.71 (talk) 07:23, 5 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]
That may be true. Unfortunately, that is not how Wikipedia works. --TorriTorri(talk/contribs) 04:46, 7 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Then Wikipedia is broken. Sorry.76.237.88.71 (talk) 08:17, 23 April 2011 (UTC)[reply]
... Actually that need for citation is precisely why wikipedia works.. Read a book.. Then cite it.. Here I mean.98.165.109.38 (talk) 05:02, 30 April 2015 (UTC)[reply]
I was just noticing this issue and coming to the talk page to bitch as well. Its not even really the phrases but almost the animation engine seems to be the same or similar. Along with the verbal styles and 50 other things- for people who have seen FD, Archer basically seems like watching a sequel.
Which brings me to point two, which is that the similarities are so obvious and huge that, I imagine the more likely explanation is not that RS doesn't exist, its that no one has bothered to track it down yet, because as the OP said, it quite clear whoever wrote the influences section has never EVER seen Frisky Dingo, or they would have wrote it differently (even taking into account the higher profile of David Cross in the new season)... so I will get back to you folk when I find some RS 66.220.113.98 (talk) 07:45, 21 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]
done 66.220.113.98 (talk) 00:00, 23 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

My initial reaction in seeing this show was that it's very similar to The Venture Bros. in many ways (including I believe some of the same voice talent). Is this a coincidence, or is there a relationship between the two shows that could be stated here? I haven't dug anything up yet, but I may not be looking in the right places...

Artistically modeled after it's cast?[edit]

That might be a bit more believable had you not used the picture of Sterling... Who looks NOTHING like H. Jon Benjamin. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.228.177.71 (talk) 02:46, 25 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

-Agreed- —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.237.88.71 (talk) 03:36, 4 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]
I changed the information underneath the picture of Archer and the Mole to make more sense, since there is no info on the net about the character design matching the actors portraying them.99.6.230.15 (talk) 20:42, 4 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Here's something I hope will help clarify the character models, I got it from an article on the Vulture.com website (click here) I'm not sure how this information can be cited on Wikipedia but I'm sure it can in some form or another. YborCityJohn (talk) 20:13, 8 October 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Production Section[edit]

I made some great links to references made in the show and someone deleted all of them (i.e. linking just "telling Lana she's in the Danger Zone rather than spelling out the artist and song, and the fact that Kreeger calls his sex robot Fister Roboto and linking that name to Mr. Roboto ) These are good quality links.

See WP:INUNIVERSE. --TorriTorri(talk/contribs) 03:57, 5 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

76.237.88.71 (talk) 07:22, 5 March 2011 (UTC) Which section do I need to be looking at? I see layered links all over wiki. The way you have it written is stale and over-informative.[reply]

Butler[edit]

I thought the butler's name was Wodehouse (the writer of Jeeves & Wooster) rather than Woodhouse (storage for wood) Can anyone confirm correct spelling? 86.63.26.124 (talk) 21:19, 18 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Just go to the website, click right a twice and select his silhouette. It's Woodhouse. Xeworlebi (talk) 21:22, 18 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]
Cool, I assume it to be a pun then (as there are multiple puns/parodies/pop culture references in each episode) Have been watching in the UK & didn't realise it had it's own site (damn Google!!) Thanks for clearing that up 86.63.26.124 (talk) 08:51, 20 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]
It is spelled "Woodhouse" in the context of this show, but it is (obviously) a punning allusion to P. G. Wodehouse. Bearcat (talk) 22:46, 23 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Forgotten Creation of Krieger[edit]

Just thought I would mention the background shot of Krieger's mutated clones in the season two episode Pipeline Fever —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.69.108.83 (talk) 19:40, 22 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Add Character Page?[edit]

Does anyone think we should make a new page specifically to character biographies like we did for the episodes? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 98.95.59.2 (talk) 02:28, 10 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I think there most definitely should be one. The "list" on the main page is way too long/descriptive for a series article. — WylieCoyote (talk) 18:00, 7 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]
I've started a stand-alone character list: List of Archer characters. Cliff Smith 20:37, 10 September 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Cyril and Spelvin...[edit]

This is regarding the inference that Spelvin is possibly Cyril's father. While he (Spelvin) manages to be somewhat familiar with information about Cyril, this more than likely stems from Spelvin's reseach into a possible "mark" within ISIS. The vagueness of his statements coupled with Cyril's obviously easy to read and gullible nature seem to facilitate this line of thinking. He clearly misses key details such as how Cyril disappointed his father in the past (Cyril himself has to state that it was the "Regional Spelling Bee" during the climactic ending with Spelvin), not to mention the fact that he bears no resemblance to Cyril's father in the flashbacks (though admittedly the latter may be nothing more than a simple plot device used to incorporate misdirection of this very subject). At one time I was of a similar mindset concerning the pair, but I simply cannot justify such a statement with the facts at hand. I fear that leaving things as they are may lead to confusion surrounding the two. 166.147.123.21 (talk) 16:01, 8 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Spelvin is pretty clear that he is guessing, and where would you get the idea Spelvin is his father, anyway? They show his father, and his father is a school superintendant, not a cybercriminal mastermind. Rifter0x0000 (talk) 22:40, 2 January 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Temporal ambiguities[edit]

While it is valid for the article to make some note of the show's temporal ambiguity, in accordance with Wikipedia's rules about WP:POPCULTURE content it is not necessary for this article to obsessively document each and every last snippet of dialogue, or minor plot point, that just happens to bounce off another one in a contradictory way. The article should properly restrict itself to a couple of examples — specifically the ones, such as the contradictory status of the Soviet Union and Woodhouse's impossible age, that are actually central to the show's premise — and should not turn into a comprehensive directory of every last individual anachronism that happens to pop up in a bit of passing dialogue. Accordingly, I've trimmed that section back to a more general overview of the timeline issue, and would advise all users that we should not keep adding to it again every time the show happens to include a passing reference to Dane Cook or CSI. Only anachronisms that are central to the show's premise warrant mention. Bearcat (talk) 22:40, 23 February 2013 (UTC)[reply]

Couldn't there be another page for this? It was a really lovely and useful list for fans.St.JohnBosco (talk) 22:28, 28 July 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Woodhouse/Wodehouse[edit]

I've always assumed that Woodhouse's name is a reference to P.G. Wodehouse (of Jeeves'n'Wooster fame) but I do not see how we can make that claim in the article without a reliable source backing it up. Without a source it is the very definition of original research. I've tagged it for now as needing a citation but if one isn't found this claim should be removed. SQGibbon (talk) 06:45, 14 January 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Was WP:BOLD and removed this claim since it has no source and appears to be the speculation of a single editor (see above), with no given reason to believe it. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 110.20.35.20 (talk) 09:27, 22 January 2014 (UTC)[reply]

It seems to be a very common belief but I was unable to find a reliable source that makes the claim. I'm OK with it being removed. SQGibbon (talk) 19:09, 25 January 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Grand Theft Auto?[edit]

I've never seen the show, but from seeing commercial spots, I was wondering why this show looks like it's made with the GTA boxart cartoon style. Is Archer Vice a direct reference? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.246.239.235 (talk) 02:09, 2 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Archer Vice is a reference to the 1980s NBC television series Miami Vice which starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas because it took place in Miami, Florida and most if not all of the stories was about illegal narcotics especially Cocaine which was a primary storyline in Season 5 of Archer. TheGoofyGolfer (talk) 15:52, 18 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]
Nope. Not at all. 98.194.39.86 (talk) 20:04, 12 July 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Recent edits[edit]

A batch of edits were just made (I got emails notifying me), where someone was editing out Adam Reed's name everywhere and replacing it with Russell Crowe, as well as changing lots of words, including "Archer Vice" into "Breaking Archer" and "cocaine" into "crystal meth". I'm still learning Wikipedia, so I'm too scared to make edits, so someone with experience please undo all edits made by IP 96.39.1.206. Thank you! :)

LocalNet (talk) 16:44, 29 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Just common vandalism. It's been undone. :) EvergreenFir (talk) Please {{re}} 19:32, 29 August 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Introduction[edit]

The second paragraph of the introduction is meaningless to someone who has no clue what the show is about, and seems less valuable to the introduction than a paragraph actually explaining what the show is about. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 88.64.27.39 (talk) 05:24, 21 March 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Relation to other media section[edit]

I'm a huge fan of this show, but the "Relation to Other Media" section just does not seem encyclopedic and reminds me of the days when every article would have a long "references in other media" section. I think this section should either be deleted or greatly condensed. 2601:D:5E81:EBA4:8D1B:1BD7:50DE:8928 (talk) 04:50, 22 April 2015 (UTC)[reply]

Image of Salvador Dali[edit]

What is the picture of Salvador Dali doing in the article? -- Cimon Avaro; on a pogostick. (talk) 11:49, 16 March 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Hulu exclusivity to air episodes[edit]

With all due respect to User:Twofingered Typist his recent edit is incorrect, Hulu doesn't not necessarily have exclusive rights to air Archer episodes which are actually still available on the FXNetworks.com website. YborCityJohn (talk) 14:17, 23 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

  • @YborCityJohn: That's not my edit—mine were finished in mid-January. The Hulu entry was actually made by an unregistered editor. If you can supply a valid citation for this information you should add it to the article. Twofingered Typist (talk) 18:01, 23 March 2018 (UTC)[reply]

GA Review[edit]

This review is transcluded from Talk:Archer (TV series)/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Reviewer: Adamstom.97 (talk · contribs) 22:17, 1 July 2018 (UTC)[reply]


Looks like this has been waiting for review for long enough. I intend to get some thoughts up here pretty soon. - adamstom97 (talk) 22:17, 1 July 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Here are some things that I think should be addressed before this article is promoted to GA:

  • Rather than saying "Season" so much in the infobox, I would suggest just using "S#", with # being the respective season number(s). If you are concerned that some readers will not understand this, perhaps Template:Abbr will be helpful.
  • For genre, I think you should only list the ones that apply to all or most seasons. Styles used for a specific season's story are better discussed in prose.
  • Co-executive producers are not executive producers, and should not be listed as such.
  • I believe Willis was a coproducer as one point promoted as an executive producer in the show’s recent history. Nevertheless, he is listed as an executive producer now. Removed. DAP 💅 13:59, 2 July 2018 (UTC)[reply]
  • The reference in the lead should be removed. It is inappropriate to link to other wikis like that, and is unnecessary since the content is in the article body.
  • I don't think the actors should be noted in the character/setting section, as it duplicates their introduction to readers in the casting section, and we generally recommend against listing actors in sections for plot summaries at MOS:TV.
  • The development section should note when the show was officially picked up by FX, before you mention that it was moved to FXX.
  • Clarified with an exact date. DAP 💅 13:59, 2 July 2018 (UTC)[reply]
  • The soundtrack section is a bit bare, and I find it slightly confusing. Could you find some more info on this, and fill it out a bit more to make it clear where music came from chronologically?
  • Unfortunately, this is all the available information about the show’s score. I’d prefer it not be merged with the music section as they don’t really tie in together, but I could rework to create a new subsection. Ultimately that’s your call. DAP 💅 13:59, 2 July 2018 (UTC)[reply]
In that case, can you re-write what content you do have to be clearer? It is very confusing as is in terms of what music came from where and when. Chronological order of information would be preferred. - adamstom97 (talk) 01:15, 3 July 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Have a go at those, and let me know when you are done / if you have any questions. - adamstom97 (talk) 02:08, 2 July 2018 (UTC)[reply]

@Adamstom.97: Thanks for the review! I believe I have addressed everything. DAP 💅 02:19, 4 July 2018 (UTC)[reply]
Yes, that is much better. Congratulations DAP, this review has passed . - adamstom97 (talk) 02:37, 4 July 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Requested move 16 October 2018[edit]

The following is a closed discussion of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on the talk page. Editors desiring to contest the closing decision should consider a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

The result of the move request was: moved. There is a consensus to move the page per the discussion below. (page mover nac) Flooded with them hundreds 14:32, 26 October 2018 (UTC)[reply]


Archer (TV series)Archer (2009 TV series) – Needs to be disambiguated with the stub article of Archer (1975 TV series), per WP:PDAB. While the animated 2009 series is much more relevant, you can't be the primary topic of a partially disambiguated term (see WP:PDAB). Per Wikipedia's established guidelines, this page would either need to be at "Archer" itself (extremely unlikely) or at "Archer (2009 TV series)" (fully disambiguated). The incomplete disambiguation of "Archer (TV series)" would then redirect to the disambiguation page (Archer (disambiguation)).

Additionally, these category moves would need to occur:

Thanks. Paintspot Infez (talk) 12:15, 16 October 2018 (UTC)[reply]


The above discussion is preserved as an archive of a requested move. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made in a new section on this talk page or in a move review. No further edits should be made to this section.

Archer connection to "Burn Notice" TV show ?[edit]

There's a TV show called Burn Notice who's lead actor seems to be modeled (at least physically) from Sterling Archer, and in the premise of the show, the "burn notice" is something that happened in one of the Archer episodes. I don't know if the "Burn Notice" tv show predates the use of the "burn notice" as a plot element in Archer - or vice-versa. 45.74.106.66 (talk) 02:56, 11 September 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Cancellation[edit]

Archer wasn't cancelled. It came to an end. Everyone wanted to end the series. In fact, it was supposed to end several seasons before. Please use the correct terminology. "Ending" a series is not the same as "cancellation". Barney Miller was ended, Firefly was cancelled. A Cancellation is when a Network Executive decides to end the show without further production. Cancellations are also announced as cancellations. In Archer's Case everyone involved chose to end it, and no cancellation announcement was ever made. 2600:6C67:2300:3A00:6DF6:AECA:11A:6D73 (talk) 07:12, 12 January 2024 (UTC)[reply]