Archer Season 12: Release Date, Cast And More

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Who would have thought that Archer, a show about an obnoxious alcoholic super spy and his coterie of eccentric co-workers, would become such a long-lasting juggernaut? The animated spy comedy's twelfth season is set to premiere next month, so now is a good time to catch up on everything we know about Archer season 12 so far.

The first two episodes of Archer season 12 are set to premiere on August 25, 2021, on linear cable via the FXX Network, which has been the show's cable home since 2017. They will also be available to stream the next day on Hulu under the "FX on Hulu" banner. Six more episodes will air in the subsequent weeks, with the season total finishing at eight.

Archer, which kicked off in 2009, follows the exploits of Sterling Archer, the world's greatest — and probably most arrogant — spy. He initially worked for an intelligence organization called ISIS, where his mother, Malory Archer, was the director (the show gave up the ISIS name after a real-world ISIS terrorist group came to international prominence). In an effort to keep things fresh, the writers have frequently changed the setting and occupation of Archer and his friends: in a season titled Archer Vice, the characters tried to sell cocaine on the black market, and later in the show's run, it took on different aesthetics while playing out in a comatose Archer's mind, including Dreamland, Danger Island, and 1999. Last season, Archer finally awoke from his coma to discover that the dynamics around him had changed significantly, and we imagine the upcoming season will see him continue to grapple with those changes.

This season, Archer and gang face a new threat: a spy conglomerate known as IIA (International Intelligence Agency). With a limited number of spy jobs up for grabs, can the Agency compete against the soulless vultures of IIA, or will our mom-and-pop spy agency be the next to get swallowed alive?

Adam Reed created the show and continues to serve as the showrunner and executive producer alongside Matt Thompson, who recently made his feature directing debut with America: The Motion Picture, and Casey Willis, who also directed two episodes of the show's eleventh season.

Archer has a sprawling cast of regulars, which includes H. Jon Benjamin as Sterling Archer, Aisha Tyler as Lana Kane, Chris Parnell as Cyril Figgis, Amber Nash as Pam Poovey, Judy Greer as Cheryl Tunt, Adam Reed himself as Ray Gillette, and Lucky Yates as Dr. Krieger. Guest stars will reportedly include Pamela Adlon, Eric André, Bruce Campbell, Harvey Guillén, Kayvan Novak, and Stephen Tobolowsky, among others. (It's probably a safe bet that we hear from Dave Willis as Barry, Archer's longtime nemesis who just recently became his pal in season 11.)

Jessica Walter, who voiced Malory Archer, died in March of this year at age 80, but she reportedly recorded lines for this upcoming season shortly before she passed away. It's still unknown exactly how many episodes she will be in, or if the production had to rework any of its episodes or storylines to account for her death. Since Walter was such a huge part of the series and the characters' dynamic, I'm wondering if this season will be the final hurrah for Archer.