It’s been a few years since Archer ended, and while we still go around yelling “Phrasing!” whenever the opportunity arises, it’s high time for some fresh jokes from the team behind the long-running spy-fi show. HBO Max has ordered up two seasons of Merrick & Treves, a half-hour animated comedy co-created and executive produced by Archer and Frisky Dingo vets Adam Reed, Casey Willis, and Lucky Yates.
Here’s the official logline, courtesy of HBO Max: “Set inside Queen Victoria’s top secret Royal Temporal Constabulary, Merrick & Treves follows a team of unlikely heroes as they voyage back and forth through time in an effort to stop Jack the Ripper.”
The release doesn’t specify more details on the characters, but Deadline puts them into historical context: “Joseph Merrick was better known as the Elephant Man, who was exhibited at a freak show in 19th-century Britain, before he was taken in by surgeon Sir Frederick Treves and went to live at a hospital in Whitechapel,” the London neighborhood frequented by Jack the Ripper.
In the HBO release, Reed, Willis, and Yates sounded very excited about what’s to come. “The three of us are beyond excited to have found a home for Merrick & Treves at HBO. We can’t wait to start working with the creative team behind so many of our favorite shows. It’s actually quite daunting, now that we think about it. Like, holy shit, y’all. HBO.”
There’s no word yet on casting; presumably, it’ll have a British-accented cast for the most part, though Reed and Yates are both voice-acting veterans. We’re also hoping H. Jon Benjamin—the voice of Sterling Archer, as well as Bob Belcher on Bob’s Burgers—might find the time to add yet another eccentric character to his resume.
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We all kind of suspected Ryan Coogler’s new X-Files series would become a reality—first of all, it’s Ryan Coogler, then all that talent started filling up the pilot, including stars Danielle Deadwyler and Himesh Patel—and now Hulu has finally made it official.
“A reimagining of the classic, the series follows two highly decorated but vastly different FBI agents who form an unlikely bond when they are assigned to a long-shuttered division devoted to cases involving unexplained phenomena,” reads Hulu’s official press release announcing the series order.
Coogler, whose Sinners racked up multiple Oscars earlier this year and who has Black Panther III coming in 2028, has long been excited about making his version of the ’90s sci-fi staple.
“I’ve loved The X-Files for a long time, so getting the chance to write and direct the pilot has meant a great deal to me,” Coogler said in a Hulu press release. Coogler wrote, directed, and executive produced the pilot; he’ll executive produce the show alongside showrunner Jennifer Yale.
“What Chris Carter created is special, and we wanted to honor everything that made the original series connect with so many people while also finding our own way into that world. Danielle and Himesh, along with the rest of our cast, have brought such original perspectives and performances to these characters, and watching that come together has been one of the most rewarding parts of the experience.”
He continued, “I couldn’t have asked for better collaborators than my crew, colleagues at Proximity Media, and our partners at Onyx Collective and 20th Television. I’m grateful for the trust and support they’ve given us as we take on this new chapter.”
So far there’s no release date set, but here’s hoping early 2027 might be a possibility. We want to believe!
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The star of the hit Apple TV show knows how season one ends and loves it.
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The real war in the new ‘Doctor Who’ spinoff isn’t between the Sea Devils and humanity, but between the show’s bold ideas and a wildly uneven tone.
To all the sci-fi, fantasy, and horror characters, TV series, and other creations that took their final bows this year: we’ll miss (most of) you!