Archer’s as unhelpful as ever in new season trailer

Celebrating his television series’ Bar Mitzvah, the international man of mystery Archer is back for the 13th season of FX’s Archer. But before he reads his haftarah and gets back to his glass Glengoolie Blue, he’s got a series of missions to complete. Unfortunately, being the world’s best spy isn’t all sunshine and whiskey. Archer’s agency is just as prone to corporate takeovers as the rest of us. Here’s the synopsis for the season:

This season, Archer and The Agency have been acquired by Fabian Kingsworth and the spy conglomerate known as IIA (International Intelligence Agency). As the gang struggles to find their identity performing odd missions for Fabian, one question arises: will they be able to maintain independence, or will they succumb to their corporate overlords?

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If international espionage is not free from the whims of late capitalism, then what is?

Thankfully, Archer isn’t alone. Archer’s crackerjack cast led by H. Jon Benjamin is back, with Aisha Tyler, Judy Greer, Chris Parnell, Amber Nash, Adam Reed, and Lucky Yates returning for another round of intrigue and cleaning up Archer’s mess.

One notable absence this season is the late Jessica Walter, an impossible void to fill on any show. Still, Archer managed to provide the late, great actor with a fitting send-off, one worthy of the woman who bore Sterling Archer. As our own William Hughes put it in his recap of the show’s farewell to Walter:

I genuinely wasn’t expecting that last pull-out, which reveals that Malory has made her grand escape, not alone, but with the inimitable Ron Cadillac at her side. Ron’s dialogue is canned, too, of course—Ron Leibman having died in 2019, two years ahead of Jessica Walter, his wife of 36 years. The final shot of the pair, hand-in-hand, is, inarguably, the sweetest moment in Archer’s entire history. It’s also a damn fine way to say goodbye.

Archer likely won’t be so sweet this season. In fact, he’ll probably be worse than ever, with his new corporate daddy running around. Viewers can find out for themselves when Archer premieres on FXX on August 24.