Summary

• The Archer series finale, titled "Into the Cold," sees the spy and his friends risking their freedom to save the world.
• H. Jon Benjamin reflects on the show's long legacy and the possibility of a revival in the future.
• Despite the end of the series, fans can expect explosive action, outrageous humor, and meaningful character arcs in this final season.

An animated era is coming to an end with the Archer series finale. Subtitled "Into the Cold", the three-part finale event will see the titular spy and his friends come to terms with the fact that The Agency is about to become illegal across the world. Nevertheless, they must risk their freedom when a deadly duo threatens the world's safety.

H. Jon Benjamin continues to lead the ensemble Archer season 14 cast alongside Aisha Tyler, Chris Parnell, Amber Nash, Adam Reed, Judy Greer, Lucky Yates, and Natalie Dew. With plenty of explosive action, outrageous humor, and meaningful character arcs, the finale proves to be a worthwhile send-off to a beloved show.

Ahead of the finale's premiere, Screen Rant interviewed star H. Jon Benjamin to discuss Archer: Into the Cold, the show's long legacy, his thoughts on a revival in the future, and the chances of a Bob's Burgers Movie 2.

H. Jon Benjamin Talks Archer: Into the Cold

Screen Rant: Hopefully, this won't be the last time we chat, but it may be the last time we chat for Archer. It's a bittersweet thing, as a fan of the show, to see it coming to a close. How does it feel for you looking back on the show's legacy now that it's closing the book, at least for now?

H. Jon Benjamin: Yeah, I can hold out hope that maybe it'll get revived somehow. But yeah, it was sad. To work on a show for as long as Archer was on is pretty unique. It doesn't happen — oh, except for Bob's Burgers. [Laughs] But I don't know how that happened, it really is unusual. It's sort of became such a huge part of my life, so many years doing it, you kind of forget that, at some point, it's going to end. So, it wasn't like a shock, but I was like, "Oh, right. Of course. Holy s--t. This has been on so long." You do kind of lose track, year to year. So yeah, it was sad, but it, of course, had to come to an end at some point.

What was your first reaction when you saw the scripts for this season? Do you remember?

H. Jon Benjamin: Yeah, well, there was a big shift in the history of Archer when Adam Reed, who wrote the first 10 seasons of the show, pretty much on his own. When he left the show, that was a real shift, and they handled that pretty seamlessly. A huge amount of credit to Matt Thompson and Casey Willis. I think they had to figure out a way to really make the writing as sharp and inventive as Adam does, and that's really hard to do. I think they did a really good job, so yeah. There was, I think, this version of history, which could have been different, because I think Adam Reed kind of had planned to end the show after 10 seasons, and they kind of regrouped and made it work for the extra four.

They've done a phenomenal job with the transition. This season, we see Lana in charge, and we see Archer trying to be somewhat of a father, while also still in his partying phase. What has been one of your particular favorite elements of this season?

H. Jon Benjamin: Yeah, obviously, the thing about Archer is they've kind of given everybody a shot to steer the ship for in some fashion. Despite all the problems The Agency has gone through, and all the interpersonal mess that goes on with everybody involved in Archer. I feel like the show is always a continuum for this group of people just trying to figure out their lives in this weird world. So, yeah, like this season, and like a lot of others, seeing Archer and Lana trying to figure out their s--t is always in the background of every season of Archer. And weaving in Archer getting older was always, I thought, interesting for the show, you know, him kind of losing his mojo. It was inevitable for a character like Archer.

Since you mentioned Lana, they've been so on and off over the years. Do you think there's ever an actual future for them? Or do you think Archer's too set in his ways to ever try and fully change to be a family man?

H. Jon Benjamin: Yeah, as little as I can tell you about the finale, I would say, in general, no. Archer is, unfortunately — I think him and Lana are at cross purposes, probably for eternity. Even as much as they inspire each other, the relationship is too fraught. Archer, I think as a whole, as a series, is kind of about a guy who's never going to get it quite together, despite all his efforts. Too much damage has been done to him over the years, both emotionally and physically, so yeah, I don't think they're going to work out.

If anything, co-parenting can work, so that might end up being the better case for AJ, at the very least.

H. Jon Benjamin: Yeah, definitely, I think that would be a must. If that were a real-life scenario, yeah, AJ's probably better with them apart than together. [Chuckles]

With the book on Archer getting ready to close, at least for the time being, are there any Archer mannerisms or catchphrases that you're gonna miss getting to be a part of your work lexicon?

H. Jon Benjamin: [Chuckles] Well, I use "phrasing" in my real life now, which is truly ironic, and probably not a good idea for an actor who does a catchphrase on television using it in real life. I would imagine like Sean Connery didn't order martinis at bars like that. [As Sean Connery] "Shaken, not stirred." But I definitely have used phrasing a lot, and I hear it a lot from other people.

So I'll definitely miss that. I definitely really had fun, and because I also sort of share this with Archer — it wasn't my idea, but the answering messages, which they don't do as much anymore, or they certainly haven't in many years. But I used to really love doing those, and that's something I did in real life. I'd do really dumb answering machine messages to aggravate people, so I really related to Archer in that sense.

I loved those gags and I have missed them, so maybe if that revival we want comes down the line, you'll have to tell Adam or Matt or whoever's writing. Hey, get this back in.

H. Jon Benjamin: Yeah, forsure, I'll bring that up. But it just occurred to me that they probably haven't done that answering machine gag in many seasons.

Before I let you go, you mentioned Bob's Burgers earlier, and I'm wearing one of my Bob's Burgers shirts right now, ironically enough. I loved the movie, I thought it was such a fun expansion of the show. You guys have all talked about your interest in coming back for a sequel. Do you know if there are any talks or any chances of that happening?

H. Jon Benjamin: I don't know at all. What I do know, it was very difficult to write a movie and keep the show going. Bob's Burgers, the writing staff has kind of been with the show since the very beginning. And Loren Bouchard and Nora Smith, who wrote the movie, also have to run the show at the same time. I think that's a tall task, so it's probably very hard to do, but I imagine they'll try. I hope they do. It was really fun, and I agree with you, it came out really well.

Hopefully, the wait for it won't be as long as with The Simpsons 2!

H. Jon Benjamin: We'll put a rush on it, we'll put a rush on it.

About Archer Season 14 & Into the Cold