For the first time in six year the entire voice cast of FXX’s animated spy comedy Archer were all together for their New York Comic Con panel promoting the upcoming sixth season and they also brought along a very special guest, Christian Slater! Fans in attendance were given exclusive Archer playing cards, and treated to the season six premiere.
When we last saw Sterling Archer (H. Jon Benjamin) he had just found out that his former lover, Lana (Aisha Tyler) had stolen his sperm and used it for her artificial insemination. Lana gave birth to their daughter Abijean at the end of last season. As for the rest of the formally named ISIS gang, Pam (Amber Nash) finally acknowledged her addiction to cocaine, Cheryl (Judy Grier) was an aspiring country music star, and Krieger (Lucky Yates) may or may not be dead and replaced by a clone.
We don’t want to spoil anything about the season six premiere, but we will give you the low down on the best bits from the hilarity that ensued on Friday night. Here are Pop-Break’s favorite parts from the Archer panel.
Everyone Hates Cyril Figgis
Even in real life, Cyril Figgis gets no respect. The ISIS comptroller voiced by Chris Parnell (Saturday Night Live, Rick and Morty) is always getting the short end of the stick, getting abused by woman or shot by Archer. When a fan asked Aisha Tyler what the difference is between dating Archer and dating Cyril, everyone had their own input. The highlights being Lucky Yates (“Do you prefer crying or not crying?”) and H. Jon Benjamin (“Do you prefer an erection or not an erection?”). Chris Parnell wasn’t getting much respect either. When another fan asked which actor is most like their character, one of the panelist said “Chris Parnell is the least like his character if you know what I mean” (referring to the size of Cyril’s manhood). They quickly followed their statement by saying “he doesn’t wear glasses,” which received a big laugh from the audience.
Returning Voice Guests
Series creator Adam Reed happily answered all questions related to the upcoming season. When asked about returning characters he said Barry is coming back! The KGB cyborg voiced by Dave Willis will make a grand return. Also returning is Conway Stern voiced by Coby Bell, which Aisha Tyler replied “finally some black people in this bitch.” Also returning is Mallory’s dealership owning husband, Ron Cadillac, who is voiced by Jessica Walter’s real husband Ron Liebman.
What We Can Expect From Season Six
“Will there be any cool new voice guests,” asked a fan. “Cool new voice guests? Not really,” joked Reed.
While Reed and company tried not to spoil too many details about the upcoming season, fans did get to hear a few bits of information to hold them over until Archer returns in 2015. Reed shared that we will finally get to meet Pam’s sister Edie voiced by Fargo’s Allison Tolman. We will also get to see some more adventures focusing on the escapades of both Pam and Woodhouse (George Coe), the loveable butler who also happens to be a heroin addict.
The Name Change
One of the biggest questions going into the sixth season was if the show would keep the name of their international spy agency as ISIS following the recent current events. It wasn’t brought up until a fan came up to the mic and said “I have a question you are going to hate.” Adam Reed quickly replied, “Are you from the network? Are we cancelled?” The questions was finally answered on Monday when FXX announced that Archer will be dropping the name ISIS. At the end of season 5, ISIS merged with the CIA so now Archer will be officially working for the government.
After the question was basically answered, H. Jon Benjamin jokingly asked the fan “So are we going to hate you because you are pro-Isis?” He then suggested that they change the name to ‘AIDS.’
Which leads into our final topic.
H. Jon Benjamin’s Interacting With Fans
It’s no secret that H. Jon Benjamin is incredibly talented. He is currently the lead voice actor on not one, but two different immensely popular shows with a huge cult following. He was easily the best part of the panel. Whether it was how he responded to fans asking questions:
Fan: [Awkwardly leaving the microphone] “Thank you.”
Adam Reed: “Thank you.”
H. Jon Benjamin: [To the fan] “Fuck you.”
Or how he would get the crowd riled up:
H. Jon Benjamin: “Suck it San Diego!”
But the highlight of the panel was when a fan asked how each actor changes their voice when they play different characters on different shows. She mentions that how H. Jon voices Sterling Archer and how he portrays Bob Belcher on Bob’s Burgers differently. The entire crowd erupts in laughter.
H. Jon Benjamin: [To the fan] “I know why everyone is laughing, thank you for trying.”
Between the chemistry of the voice cast, the hilarious Q/A, and finding out that H. Jon Benjamin and Aisha Tyler fight in real life just like Archer and Lana fight in the show, the Archer panel was easily one of the highlights of the convention. It was the perfect ending to incredible Friday. Archer will return in 2015 on FXX.
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