Adam Reed on Mole Hunt (Archer S1E1) — Boxed Wine, Chicken Graveyards & the Birth of Archer

Episode notes

Amber Nash (Pam Poovey) kicks off RePhrasing’s first season on Maximum Fun with a very special guest: Archer creator Adam Reed. Together, they revisit Mole Hunt, the pilot episode that introduced the world to Sterling Archer and his unforgettable coworkers.

Adam shares how the idea for Archer first came to him while hiking the Appalachian Trail and Spain’s Camino de Santiago — surviving mostly on boxed wine and cigarettes (and earning a trail name he didn’t want). They talk about how long it took to write the pilot, finding the balance between office mundanity and spy-world glamour, and how Adam’s attention to detail shaped the show’s distinct look.

Also in this episode: the early development of Cheryl, Pam, and Krieger; the complicated relationship between Malory and Archer; a fan’s spot-on Woodhouse impression; the debut of the Ultimate Archer Reference Matrix (uARM); and yes, the surprising fact that Amber likes to dance.

📺 Archer is now streaming on Hulu.

ABELARD AND HELIOSE REDDIT THREAD: https://www.reddit.com/r/ArcherFX/comments/5ic70h/til_the_abelard_joke_goes_way_deeper_than_we_all/

ARCHER WIKI CULTURAL REFERENCES PAGE:

https://archer.fandom.com/wiki/Cultural_References

Email us: rephrasingpod@gmail.com

Instagram: @rephrasingpod