Returning for a 13th season, the animated comedy series Archer has had quite the thrills and a great number of laughs. There’s a great cast of characters, and all of them hold their own with a distinct personality and setting of humor. Whether it’s vulgar comments, witty comebacks, or just silly catchphrases, this adult animated comedy has it all.
There’s a long history to go through with the characters in Archer. The team may seem at odds for the majority of the time, but deep down they’re more than just disgruntled co-workers. They’re friends, and the humor they have is only enriched by how they treat each other.
9 Lana Kane
As the deuteragonist of the Archer series, Lana Kane is the love interest of Sterling Archer and the leading competitor for being a master spy. Considering Lana takes her job very seriously, she doesn’t usually have the time for jokes, especially when her co-workers are making fools of themselves and the agency that they are trying to uphold.
With a strong will and a very short temper, Lana won’t hesitate to use physical violence to resolve what’s bothering her. Some of her funniest moments are when she hits another character, or when she uses her wit to attack them verbally.
8 Cyril Figgis
Most of the humor in Cyril’s character comes from how he is such an easy target for other characters to ridicule and humiliate, most of them without Cyril's knowledge. He’s the definition of a company man, who prioritizes his accounting, and the rules that need to be followed.
Cyril’s funniest moments come from his lack of confidence and his fear. When wielding a gun, Cyril is often deathly frightened, and even more so when he can’t stop firing the trigger. Cyril is the punching bag of the group, but comes with his humorous charm.
7 Barry Dillon
Few characters in Archer have bizarre character development like Barry Dillon. Barry was an ordinary human with a loving wife, who then lost his wife, and then his humanity. Currently, Barry is a cyborg, but has been the central antagonist to the Archer series for a good number of years. There’s a lot of conflict in Barry’s character, because his hatred for Sterling Archer is hilarious, just as much as his friends in later years.
There’s a horrifying sadism in Barry’s love for murder and torture. Barry also seems to suffer from a split personality, where he refers to himself as “Barry” and “Other Barry.” It’s played for jokes in the show, and that, paired with his violent tendencies, makes for an intimidating and hilarious set of scenes.
6 Ray Gillette
There’s a lot of good nature in Ray Gillette’s character. He’s highly optimistic, if not highly sarcastic, even after being paralyzed from the waist down multiple times. Ray goes out of his way to help his friends, and his high level of sass is iconic to the Archer series.
The humor from Ray comes in the form of his snide remarks, and his often secret life, like the time he spent the agency’s funding to rent a Malaysian slave boy. He doesn’t mind lying to his friends and co-workers, and whenever they find out, it always makes for some great humor.
5 Malory Archer
As the mother to Sterling Archer, and the head of the agency where the characters work, Malory Archer is a wonderful character, given a hilarious performance by the late, great Jessica Walter. Malory was ripe with harsh criticism for her employees, including being the harshest critic of her son, which made for some hilarious scenes across Sterling’s childhood.
Malory Archer is tough and ruthless, with the secret past of a brilliant spy. She is a hilarious character who will cheat, lie, sacrifice others, seduce, and throw around casual prejudice towards Irish people. Malory is also rather alcoholic, but sees no issue with having a bottle of spirits a day.
4 Pam Poovey
It may shock fans of the Archer series to remember that Pam Poovey was the Human Resources Director at the agency. Pam frequently told others gossip about the personal information they had shared through her blog. Pam is extremely violent, and even more sexual. She is everything a Human Resources director should not be, which makes her even more of a funny character.
Part of Pam’s charm comes from her incredible strength, and how she never falters, even when tortured or threatened with guns. She also managed to develop an extremely dangerous cocaine addiction, merely two days after becoming a drug dealer. She has some great one-liners and comebacks throughout the series.
3 Cheryl Tunt
Being around Cheryl is like being around a ticking time bomb. She exhibits a dangerous level of psychotic behavior, as well as emotional outbursts that make her demand to be hurt, or to hurt others. She comes from a long line of perverts and seems to be proud to be one of them. She is often seen in peculiar and questionable situations with friends and foes alike.
A lot of Cheryl’s humor is derived from the fact that she finds the idea of murder, and being killed, highly erotic. Despite being worth over half a billion dollars, Cheryl has a job as a lowly assistant in the agency, and always seems to make matters worse.
2 Dr Krieger
Although Krieger has admitted that he isn’t a doctor in any sense of the word, it does not stop him from creating some bizarre inventions, all of which seem to be capable of killing everyone involved. Krieger is as friendly as he is unhinged, with a highly calculating mind, a horrifying sense of sadism, yet a lovingly good nature.
There’s much to love about Krieger, who is seen in many humorous situations regarding his creations. Krieger loves to help his friends, even if he does so through morally questionable means. It goes to show how horrible the cast of characters is when a scientist who may be Adolf Hitler’s clone is the nicest of them all.
1 Sterling Archer
As the leading protagonist, Sterling Archer is often considered to be the world’s deadliest spy. Sterling’s cockiness is shown in full force, and he will take any opportunity to gloat about what he considers fact. Archer is extremely arrogant, selfish, self-absorbed, sexist, narcissistic, and every negative word can be thought of. However, he is extremely funny, and the leading man in the show.
Sterling often bullies and belittles his friends, and tortures his butler, Woodhouse. He always finds absurd reasons for his heinous actions, and can often be his own worst enemy, even if he will refuse to see how.