Why Aren't You Watching: Archer

Archer (Thursdays at 10), an animated spy comedy on FX, has such a basic premise that its actually surprising how original and hilarious the show manages to be. Instead of relying on humor from incompetent spies and villains (like Get Smart), the majority of Archer's laughs come from the characters' focus on the more mundane issues that arise in any line of work. A running gag in the show is characters rebuking others for spilling on the carpets "because thats how you get ants," and the lead character's priority of the maintenance of his clothes or the quality of his drink, even in life-threatening situations.

As voiced by H. Jon Benjamin, Sterling Archer is like James Bond if James Bond was an arrogant ass. Although he's not always aware of the villains' plans, he is always able to complete his missions with expert skill and a wisecrack or ten. Adding to his issues is his mother, Malory (Jessica Walter from Arrested Development), who just happens to be his boss as the head of ISIS (International Secret Intelligence Service), though she often uses the agents to  advance her own agendas, including money, luxury items, and a prominent element in Archer, sex. Lana Kane (Aisha Tyler) is another of the service's top agents, often partnered up with Sterling though they used to be in a relationship.

The ridiculous characters that make up the office include Carol/Cheryl (Judy Greer), whose name no one quite knows and is slightly masochistic, Cyril Figgis (Chris Parnell), the unhinged comptroller, and Pam, the disgusting, obnoxious, and intrusive director of human resources. Each character is constantly throwing out clever insults towards the others, along with hilarious catchphrases and other running jokes (such as Sterling's love for Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone"). In fact a great example of how regularly these characters spout witty remarks is Sterling's own recurring line, "wait, I had something for this...," often delivered in the middle of a comeback. With the amount and frequency of these quips, its understandable that one might forget a few.

Bottom Line: Archer is an original and hilariously inappropriate take on the spy genre, and its phenomenal voice cast and writing make it truly worth checking out.