That's because the emmys, like anything, are more political than merit based (speaking as a former nominee and the one time winner of a regional emmy, the paperweight that it is).

A lot of the time a show, particularly an animated show that isn't the Simpsons, has to put in a lot of knee time or get in front of the right people to just to be nominated. I take Archer winning emmys to be a retroactive nod to the franchise as a whole rather than the singular strength of its weakest seasons. I mean, hell the Simpsons still wins emmys and they've blown trailer hitches for the last decade or more.

And I don't like being a debbie downer. I LOVE the first four seasons of Archer... but the show totally lost me with Vice and proceeded to keep lowering its bar every season after. Which is why I used the analogy earlier of a very funny comedian dying of dementia. I'm sitting right here next to him, dobbing the spit from the corners of his mouth, remembering the good old days... even though the present is a shadow of his former self.

I also believe it is possible to both like something and critique it. Kind of like how a parent can be really proud of their kid but at the same time really fucking disappointed in them. Like my own mom.

I like Archer and I like this theme of this season, what I don't like is only 8 20 minute episodes and it's going to be on FXX where shows go to die.

I hear you, I guess I have a different perspective. I didnt know Archer existed until last year so I watched the entire series back to back; yes the first season hooked me, but in my opinion Vice took it to a whole new level UP not down and I thought it was fantastic. Different strokes I suppose.

Noice!

I rewatched them all. And Vice had a lot more laughs the second time

I fucking love the show even vice and season7 all good stuff,looking forward to season 8

plot is the whole problem.  a series like archer doesn't require an overarching plot--it's a sitcom.  from 'i love lucy' to 'moonlighting' to 'the simpsons' and 'friends', sitcoms work by putting characters in droll situations and letting the comedy play out.  you don't develop a relationship with a pre-plotted character trajectory in a sitcom--you like a character because he makes you laugh while you're hanging out every week, and eventually you get to know him.  That's what season 1 was, and season 2 almost was.

then they decided that what this zany spy sitcom really needed was a bunch of dramatic through-lines with lots of exposition and character evolution.



these one-off seasons are actually closer to the original archer concept than the middle stuff.


but yes, cyril as dictator was awesome.

Always Sunny has been doing fine over there.

I think Vice is actually better on a watch-through.

Embedding is disabled, but I just laughed my ass off at Krieger again. He's the one character they've done right by promoting.