A Jack the Ripper Time-Travel Comedy Series Is Coming From the ‘Archer’ Creators

It’s been a few years since Archerended, 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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