'Archer' live tour recap: Season 4 going to the fishes
For all the name calling, insults, curse words, and talk of bodily functions, the thing that tripped up the "Archer" cast at their New York City live show?
Kids.
The voices behind FX's raunchy hit comedy embarked on a tour across the country as a kind of "hate letter to fans," joked executive producer Matt Thompson.
At New York's Irving Plaza, the cast -- H. Jon Benjamin, Aisha Tyler, Jessica Walter, Chris Parnell, Amber Nash, and Lucky Yates -- read raunchy dialogue from several scenes, ribbed Benjamin about his short stature, and unleashed dozens of F-bombs to the audience's delight.
And at a Q&A with press before the show, the cast cracked wise at the presence of a reporter's two sons.
"Whoever brought them here, just be prepared to have a really quiet ride home where you have to explain a lot of words and things," joked Tyler (Lana). Then she advised, "Don't drink."
[Related: Archer and company describe their perfect day]
"Well, drink a little," interjected Benjamin (Sterling Archer), adding that the boys should do "Jaegerbombs before the show."
"Maybe you'll forget the things you're going to hear and see," Tyler added.
And that was before the show even got started!
Tyler loved the live tour for reuniting the cast members, who usually record their dialogue individually. "It's nice to get to see everybody because we're not able to get together a lot," she said.
The response from the audience was gratifying. "You go to something like this, and you're like, oh wow, people like us," he marveled. "You feel like Sally Field for two seconds."
"Each [show] has been a blast, and the audience has been extremely awesome."
New York was no different, with the cast being welcomed by deafening screams from hundreds of adoring fans. The show mixed up live readings of scenes with a lot of audience participation. A man in our row was chosen to read the part of Cyril, played by Parnell, in a scene involving Lana pushing a bomb out of an airplane.
And when a handsome model played Benjamin during the cast introduction, a woman was brought up to kiss him. When she tried to turn her cheek toward him, Benjamin pretended to be highly offended.
It wasn't the only joke about how different Benjamin looks from his character: They played a video from Season 2 of Archer having a nightmare about waking up looking like Benjamin.
Another video that got tremendous laughs was an extra from the Season 3 DVD and Blu-ray (now available on Amazon). That featured Archer's low-budget home-movie trailer for "Gator 2" (all we'll say is, poor Woodhouse).
Thompson and the cast leaked plenty of juicy details about Season 4 as well. While last season's finale took the ISIS crew to outer space, this season will take them into the deep. "We're going to a place called a Sealab, run by a guy named Captain Murphy, which Adam Reed and I are pretty excited about from our time on 'Sealab 2021,'" Thompson revealed.
As for guest stars, Walter's real-life husband, Ron Leibman, will voice Malory Archer's new husband. Having a stepfather should bring out all of Sterling's many daddy issues.
Timothy Olyphant comes over from FX sibling "Justified" to play Archer's best friend, while infamous chef Anthony Bourdain will be a "Bastard Chef" (thanks to Tyler, who connected him with producers after hosting Bourdain on her podcast).
[Related: Walton Goggins talks new season of 'Justified']
As for other guest stars -- particularly from the "Arrested Development" family -- Thompson is hopeful. As is Tyler.
[Related: 'Arrested Development' returns in May... but will look much different on Netflix]
"I want Jason Bateman," she declared during the live show. "I want Jason Bateman on me."
Michael Bluth in the danger zone? Let's all cross our fingers!
Watch a preview of the new season:
"Archer" airs Thursdays at 10 PM on FX.
