Sterling Archer is the world’s most dangerous secret agent, or so he insists to anyone who will listen. Employed by the low rent, free-market spy organization I.S.I.S, Archer and his coworkers spend their time mercilessly screwing with each other, both in the office and the field. Every so often, when all else fails, they do some actual spying.

In many ways, “Archer” operates more like an office comedy than a spy show, with its heavy focus on bureaucratic absurdity and the character’s shockingly illegal deeds. The frequent spy missions are characterized by equal incompetence – almost nobody at I.S.I.S is very good at their job, and the ones who are spend most of their time putting out the fires set by the rest of the cast.

It’s that character interaction that drives most of the humor in the show, and ample credit has to be given to the title character himself. Sterling Archer is a man obsessed with his own (nonexistent) cleverness, James Bond reflected through a stereotypically frat boy frame. He’s also a damaged and tragically oblivious character. In fact, the more you learn about the various characters in “Archer,” the more it’s possible to appreciate how deeply strange and damaged they are.

“Archer”’s characters may be tragic, but the show is much more concerned with mining the comedy out of their dysfunctional relationships than working through them. And the variety of humor mined is staggering. Gross humor, reference-based quips, and out-and-out absurdity are mixed together so that it’s impossible to tell what kind of joke is coming at any given time. This rapid-fire style does lead to comedic misfires, but the flow of jokes is fast enough that another, better joke usually rushes along to take its place. It’s a testament to the lunatic nature of the show and the cleverness of the writers and actors that a simple word (“Lana!”) can be screamingly funny.

That said, “Archer” is somewhat reliant on running jokes, and this can give the show a somewhat repetitive feel when watched from week to week. A few episodes are also somewhat hit or miss – jokes either don’t land or go too far over the line, which is always a risk when a show deals in transgressive comedy. It’s also worth noting that the first episode is not up to the show’s later standard. At its best, “Archer” is crass and offensive, but wittily so – more Louis C.K. then Daniel Tosh. The pilot, however, goes for gross-out humor too fast, before we’ve had a chance to get to know the characters.

Still, for the most part, “Archer” is very, very funny. As the perfect mix between espionage exploits and office scheming, it earns its place as one of the best comedies on television.

Also in today’s Crimson White:

Group brings film and brews to Bama Theatre for Groundhog Day

Some students opting for internships outside their field of study

Recorded by students: Campus MovieFest finale screens top 16 films