FX Renews ARCHER for Fifth Season

Related: ARCHER, FX

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(R) 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 Parnel l, 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 has posted dramatic ratings growth every year and season four of the series is on record pace. In 2013, Archer ranks as cable's #2 series in delivery of Men 18-34 behind The Walking Dead, and it has ranked as television's #1 program in that demo in the Thursday, 10 PM time period in four of the past six weeks (Live+Same Day). Through four episodes this season, Archer is posting gains of +44% in Adults 18-34 and +36% in Adults 18-49 compared to its season three average. First-run episodes of Archer are averaging 2.37 Million Total Viewers; 2.01 million Adults 18-49, and 1.41 million Adults 18-34 (L+7). In comparison to the Archer's first season, four season in the series has increased its audience by +92% in Total Viewers, +129% in Adults 18-34, +159% in Men 18-34, +128% in Adults 18-49, and +160% in Men 18-49 (L+7).*

Archer is produced by FX Productions. In February 2012, FX Productions closed an overall production deal with the series' Executive Producers, Adam Reed and Matt Thompson, and their animation studio, Floyd County Productions.

In tomorrow's episode, "Live and Let Dine" (Airs February 28, 10:00 PM E/P), Archer (H. Jon Benjamin), Lana (Aisha Tyler), and Cyril (Chris Parnel l) go undercover in the irascible celebrity chef "Lance Casteau's" (Anthony Bourdain) hellish kitchen (Written by Adam Reed). Other upcoming guest stars include Bob's Burgers veterans Eugene Mirman and Kristen Schaal, and Jon Hamm will voice the character of "Captain Murphy," the possibly deranged commander of an undersea laboratory, in the two-part season four finale airing on April 4 and April 11.

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(R) 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 Parnel l 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 Gil lette"; Lucky Yates as ISIS's possibly mad scientist, "Krieger"; and George Coe as Archer's elderly and always exploiTed Butler, "Woodhouse."

Reed and Thompson are represented by Matt Rice and Joel Begleiter at UTA, and Gregg Gellman of Morris Yorn Barnes Levine Krintzman Rubenstein Kohner & Gellman.