The show's primary setting is an anachronistic parody of Cold War-era espionage thrillers, with some individual seasons switching to milieus such as the Latin American drug trade, 1940s film noir, the interwar South Pacific, and retro-futuristic space opera.

They are Sterling Archer, the show's narcissistic, philandering protagonist;[4][5] Malory Archer, retired agent-turned-ISIS director and Sterling's abusive mother;[5] Lana Kane, Sterling's on-and-off lover and mother of his daughter Abbiejean, and by far the most qualified ISIS field agent;[6] Ray Gillette, the agency's openly gay bomb specialist;[4] Pam Poovey, the foolish but exceptionally skilled human resources supervisor-turned-agent;[7] Cyril Figgis, the mild-mannered, often ridiculed accountant-turned-agent;[5] Cheryl Tunt, Malory's neurotic personal assistant;[8] and Dr. Algernop Krieger, the agency's bizarre, morally bankrupt scientist with little regard for the well-being of his test subjects.

Major supporting roles in Archer include Len Trexler, the head of rival spy agency ODIN (Organization of Democratic Intelligence Networks); Slater, an arms dealer and undercover agent for the CIA;[10] Katya Kazanova, head of the KGB and Sterling's former love interest;[11] Fabian Kingsworth, the powerful CEO of spy conglomerate IIA (International Intelligence Agency); Zara Khan, an Interpol agent who joins the agency as Sterling's new partner; and Barry Dylan, Sterling's nemesis who, after seeking redemption, forges an alliance.

[26] In 2014, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu purchased online streaming rights to Archer as part of multiyear licensing agreements with 20th Television.

[29][30] Before the creation of Archer, Adam Reed worked on animated comedies with executive producer and longtime collaborator Matt Thompson.

The pair later became renowned for their work on several Adult Swim television projects, chiefly Sealab 2021 and their follow-up Frisky Dingo, which aired for several years.

His experience traversing the Vía de la Plata, and people-watching in Plaza Mayor in nearby Salamanca, enabled him to conceptualize his vision of Archer.

[32][33] Reed recalled in an interview, "So I sat on the Plaza Mayor for three days—drinking either coffee or beer or gin, depending on the time of day—surrounded by these Spanish women who seemed both unaware and completely aware of their beauty.

[36][38] FX moved Archer to FXX's broadcast lineup in 2017 as part of an aggressive strategy to increase the network's output of animated programming.

[48][49] As the comedy's main writer, Reed typically creates the first draft during pre-production, which he submits to his team of producers and art directors.

[48][49] The extent of Reed's oversight diminished when FXX expanded Thompson and executive producer Casey Willis' creative responsibilities for new episodes.

[51] Early Archer episodes are framed with the standard setup of a workplace comedy, defined by raunchy, reference-heavy humor,[52][53] rapid-fire dialogue,[54] and interaction-based drama.

By the end of the fourth season, however, Reed questioned the longevity of the comedy's spy premise and began contemplating a new direction for Archer, impelled by the then-growing associations of ISIS with the identically initialed jihadist group.

[64][65] Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times argues that Archer uses "a caustic brand of humor that isn't for everybody but that has brought the show a dedicated fan base.

[69] Archer's production process uses Adobe software—Photoshop, Illustrator, and After Effects—as well as visual effects programs such as Toon Boom Harmony and Cinema 4D for compositing and animation.

[14] In the initial stages of animation, art director Chad Hurd and producer Neal Holman storyboard set pieces with a team of artists based on specifications in the script.

"[74] A similar technique is used in the animation of a character's face—head illustrations are divided into basic components that can be turned "off" and "on" in sequence, lending the appearance of facial movement and expression in real-time.

[77] When he was developing the original sequence, the rough draft version consisted of style frames with roiling flame silhouettes of the characters coalesced on a charred, black background.

[80][81] By season five, musician JG Thirlwell was hired as the composer for the comedy's jazz-influenced score, brought to the producers' attention for his work on The Venture Bros.[80][81] Archer has a principal cast of seven actors: H. Jon Benjamin, Jessica Walter, Aisha Tyler, Judy Greer, Amber Nash, Chris Parnell and Lucky Yates.

[4] Reed was expected to play the titular role in the original pilot, but was re-cast because producers felt his voice-over did not service the character's dialogue well.

[93] Nash did not audition for her part; rather, the actress was approached by Reed and Thompson, whom she had previously collaborated with in Frisky Dingo, while she was recording DVD extras for their program.

Major supporting roles in Archer are played by George Coe (until his death in 2015),[94] Jeffrey Tambor, Christian Slater, Jon Hamm, Allison Tolman, Dave Willis, Ona Grauer, Keegan-Michael Key, Bryan Cranston, J. K. Simmons, and Simon Pegg, among others.

[95][96][97] Some stars appear as themselves, or portray fictionalized caricatures of themselves, such as Slater, Kenny Loggins, and the late Anthony Bourdain and Burt Reynolds.

[99][98] Recording sessions can take place anywhere, but are typically held at studios in Atlanta, Los Angeles, and New York, depending on the actor's home base.

[66] While the comedy received positive feedback for staying true to form "in the service of something much grimier and at once totally fresh" in early seasons,[129] later Archer episodes have been subjected to criticism as the tone and emphasis of the show evolves.

By the eighth and ninth seasons, some critics believed that despite having greater visual appeal, Archer too often sacrifices narrative continuity and humor through increasingly predictable and uninspired writing.

[172][173] The album features a cover of "Danger Zone", with guest vocals by Kenny Loggins, as well as three original tracks composed by Aaron Lee Tasjan.

The album was recorded at Griffin Mastering, Inc. with a group that included Tasjan, David Franklin, and Drivin N Cryin member Dave V. Johnson on instrumentation.

[176] "Fugue and Riffs", Archer's season four premiere, is a crossover episode with the Fox series Bob's Burgers, which also stars H. Jon Benjamin as the title character.

[181][182] Similarly, to promote Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017), Fox released an animated short film featuring Sterling's encounter with Eggsy Unwin / Galahad.