Archer: 10 Funniest Running Gags, Ranked

With over 100 episodes aired in the show’s lengthy and ongoing run, Archer has become one of the most prolific animated comedies of its era. In this time, fans have reveled in the show’s unique sense of humor, filled with great one-off jokes and series-long running gags alike.

While the show’s characters have undergone many changes, from being cast as secret agents and private investigators to being reimagined as Indiana Jones-esque adventurers and a spaceship crew on the show’s coma seasons, many of these gags have remained constant. The caustic (yet ultimately close) bonds between the characters in Archer have produced quite a few of these repeating gems.

10 “I Had Something For This”

For a show as full of quips and jokes as this one, the characters aren’t always the best at thinking on their feet when they verbally spar with each other. Archer himself is the main purveyor of this quote, highlighting moments when he had a joke saved up for that exact moment, but it slips his mind.

This joke plays on the ordinariness of Archer and friends’ life despite their dangerous and grand adventures, while also probably being pretty relatable for fans. Everyone has been in a situation where they should have just the right thing to say, but they can’t conjure it up in their mind.

9 “Earballs!”

Cheryl is, perhaps, the most unusual member of Archer‘s deeply unusual cast of characters, as shown by this catchphrase, which she utters whenever a loud noise occurs near her (shouting and gunshots are common on this show). “Earballs” is a made-up word that seems to stem from the word “eyeballs.”

Other characters on the show have used the word, but it originated with Cheryl, perhaps fittingly given the word’s mixed-up origins and her own penchant for chaos. Unlike some of the show’s other jokes, this one stays relatively simple over time, appropriate for pretty much any situation.

8 Incredibly Obscure References

Like many TV sitcoms, much of Archer‘s humor comes from misunderstandings and a general lack of common sense between characters. Any lack of general knowledge that Archer characters may have, though, is trumped by their immense and encyclopedic knowledge of incredibly obscure references to fields like history and culture, like literature.

These kinds of jokes come in many forms, like the common “Who am I? [Obscure historical figure]?” but they all share a strange but humorous interest in deep knowledge of history and culture. Plus, it can be fun for audiences at home to look up a reference or even recognize one on the first viewing.

7 “That’s How You Get Ants”

A gag that started its life in Archer‘s very first episode is the concern for ants due to the general uncleanliness of the ISIS offices or, later, any less-than-clean place. The phrase “Do you want ants? Because that’s how you get ants,” originates from a spilled drink in the pilot episode “Mole Hunt,” but it became one of the series’ many calling cards.

Funny in part for its banality, the catchphrase invokes an amusing concern for cleanliness (usually from Archer or Malory) amidst the very high stakes of superspy work or the many other dangerous endeavors depicted here. It also highlights the impossible standards for others that the Archer family holds for others, but not necessarily themselves.

6 Poor Brett

Before his untimely demise in season 5, ISIS employee Brett worked with Archer and the gang, where he was repeatedly the victim of stray gunshots in the office, and the occasional beating. This bit of dark humor’s time on the show has come to an end, but its legacy lives on in the hearts of fans.

It’s well-known that Archer and, to a slightly lesser extent, his co-workers, often act with little regard for others, but Brett receives the brunt of the group’s carelessness for the show’s first five seasons. The set-ups for these (mostly) accidents are where much of the humor lies, as well as the cynical carelessness of the main cast.

5 “You’re Not My Supervisor!”

There is no shortage of iconic catchphrases among the Archer cast, but not all of them have the depth and range to become full-fledged inside jokes with a self-referential nature and sticking power. Cheryl’s cry of “You’re not my supervisor!” is certainly one of the show’s most indelible catchphrases.

Always delivered with a hilarious intensity by actress Judy Greer, this line has become synonymous with the lazy secretary-turned-country-star with many names. Variations begin to spring up across the series, as well, adding to the joke’s staying power as fans revel in the absurdity of lines like “You’re not my robot supervisor!”

4 Archer’s Voicemails

Like many enterprising pranksters in real life, Archer has his voicemail set up so that callers will think that he has answered the phone when it’s really just a voicemail message. Archer, being a spy with a flair for the dramatic and a love of messing with others, takes it to the next level, though, with increasingly elaborate voicemail hoaxes.

At first, it is amusing to see how the characters react to these sometimes worrying, always annoying voicemail traps that Archer has set. Later, though, the characters start to anticipate the voicemails, making every phone call a tense game of expectations that adds to the humor of the situation.

3 Continuing Dialogue

One of the more flexible jokes in Archer is this repeated editing technique in which one scene’s dialogue leads directly into another’s, even though the two conversations usually have little to do with each other. This is often used to comedic effect, while also keeping up the fast tempo of each quick-witted and action-packed episode.

The juxtaposition of two different scenes is not only funny in its jarring nature, but it also shows the intricacy baked into every episode of the show, as the transitions and jokes are precisely structured. Sometimes, the transition comes in the form of a setup and punchline, and other times, as a question and answer, but it’s always funny either way.

2 “Danger Zone”

The show Archer is obsessed with its popular culture references and Easter eggs, but so is the character Archer, who repeatedly references films like Smokey And The Bandit and songs like Kenny Loggins’ “Danger Zone” from Top Gun. The latter is referenced mostly by Archer intoning the song’s title in a singsong voice.

Usually, Archer does this to the great annoyance of those around him, especially Lana, to whom Archer often makes the reference in terms of their on-and-off relationship. Kenny Loggins would go on to appear on the show in “Baby Shower,” bringing the joke full circle for both Archer and the fans.

1 “Phrasing” (And Its Variations)

One of the series’ oldest running jokes was the cast’s tendency to shout “Phrasing!” whenever somebody made a comment that suggested an alternate (usually sexual) meaning. As the show evolved, so did the joke, with its utterances becoming more of a joke than the double entendres they referred to.

Eventually, “Phrasing” was rotated out of the gang’s vernacular, replaced with other, often more explicit phrases referring to the situation. As time went on, Archer himself began to lament the loss of the phrase, causing it to be reintroduced in a meta way, referring to itself as an inside joke that faded away and was resurrected.

About The Author

Jason Mecchi
(96 Articles Published)

Jason Mecchi is a list writer at Screen Rant. His passions in writing are film and popular culture. He has also written for Midstory. He loves animals, watching movies, reading, and playing video games.

More From Jason Mecchi