FX 'Secretly' Debuted Archer After An Episode Of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
FX first premiered "Archer" with almost no advertising at all. The time slot — specifically September 17, 2009, at 10:30 p.m. – was listed as "To Be Announced" in that evening's TV Guide. FX informed only a handful of critics ahead of time; Jonathan Toomey at the TV Squad told readers about FX's programming stunt a day in advance, encouraging viewers to give the show a try.
The episode aired immediately after the Season 5 premiere of FX's hit show "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." Over 2.2 million viewers tuned in to the "Always Sunny" episode; while FX never released the official viewership numbers for the "Archer" pilot, enough viewers appeared to have stuck around for it to keep the network satisfied. FX continued with its plan to release Season 1 of "Archer" in January 2010.
When the pilot episode, "Mole Hunt," premiered again, it drew in 1.8 million viewers, and the 10-episode debut season brought in an average of 1 million weekly viewers. "Archer" was renewed for Season 2 before the first season even finished its run.
Always Sunny served as FX's model for Archer
"Archer" had a relatively low budget and a focus on adult comedy – both factors that previously helped make "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" a slow-burn success for FX. "A couple of years ago, we really didn't know how to go after the college-age crowd," FX Chairman John Landgraf told the Daily News in August 2009, a month before the pilot of "Archer" made its surprise premiere. By the time FX pulled off its "Archer" marketing stunt (or lack thereof), "Always Sunny" had just secured a $33 million deal with Comedy Central to air its reruns.
By 2009, FX was looking to expand its low-budget comedy line-up, and Landgraf pointed to "Archer" as one of FX's new comedies where the production cost was a major appeal. The show's art director Chad Hurd later told Variety that most of his team were "straight out of college" in the first season, and they'd prioritized "budget-friendly" animation over the fluid visuals of its animated competitors.
The low production costs for "Archer" helped it be profitable even before it landed its own syndication deal with Comedy Central before Season 6. "We've actually kind of invented and perfected a new business model," Landgraf told the Los Angeles Times in 2010 about his network's low-budget comedy lineup. "There is a connection between creative freedom and price."