On Sunday, December 17, the animation dynasty known as Goalkeeper comes to an end; The animated spy comedy, created by Adam Reed, entered its fourteenth season this year, with a three-part finale. Archer: Into the cold ending the story of Sterling Archer (H. Jon Benjamin) and his fellow agents.
“It's definitely hard to finish the show,” Benjamin says. Consequencesaying that he and the rest of the Goalkeeper The cast found out about the show's end in a group call hosted by executive producers Matt Thompson and Casey Willis. “It was kind of a shock, but at the same time, it's very unusual for a show to continue. And year after year, there was always uncertainty about whether the show was going to have another season or not.”
Benjamin adds that “Goalkeeper It was technically going to come to an end after Adam Reed left the show in season 10. After that, I think it was more of a 'How long do we have left?' I think they did a really admirable job of recreating the show by following Adam, who was the creative force behind it, for the remaining four seasons. But I think once Adam left, maybe it was a little more like, 'Well, I wonder how long the show can last.' There are animated shows that last 30 years, so you never know.”
Benjamin makes fun of that. Towards the cold reflects, in some ways, the show's own occasionally precarious history: “In the world of the show, [the spy agency] has always been on the chopping block. So the natural end of things will be like, 'What happens when the agency dissolves and what happens to all these characters?' So that's what happens when everything falls apart. “All of the characters have been through a lot over the life of the show and tend to keep landing on their feet, but the finale definitely explores a real existential crisis for the agency.”
It's the conclusion of a journey that began with the show's original premiere in 2009, kicking off a decade-plus streak of anarchy led by Benjamin alongside one of television's strongest voice casts (including Aisha Tyler, Judy Greer, Chris Parnell, Amber Nash, Lucky Yates and the late great Jessica Walter).
A curious fact about Goalkeeper is that Benjamin never had to audition for the lead role, but instead received a direct offer for the series. “I remember how surprised I was,” he says. “It's actually quite rare that he received an offer, certainly at the time, so he might have thought, 'Is this a mistake or something?'”
In fact, Benjamin says he definitely remembers “being a little worried that I wouldn't be able to play a spy well; I thought maybe I'd have to do a different character than I'd normally done, because my previous work was pretty much my natural voice.” and a lot of improvisation. Then I thought, 'I wonder why they choose me as a spy.'”