Amongst the handful of major triumphs that have led to FX becoming one of the very best TV networks around, Archer deserves special recognition. Sure, Louie and The Americans are far more substantial works with philosophical and societal ambitions that pass beyond not only Archer but most series currently on television. That's the cold truth, but Archer has upended a number of expectations that have made the animated series a surprise hit with a dedicated cult following in the same realm as Rick and Morty or Adventure Time even.

That's why it was a bummer - if not exactly a surprise - when series creator and showrunner Adam Reed appeared on the Murmur podcast this week and said that Season 10 will almost certainly be the last season of the show. Here's exactly what he said to Murmur via SplitSider:

“The plan is to end Archer after season 10. I don’t know that anybody has talked about that, but that is definitely my plan to do 8, 9 and 10 — and they’re gonna be each shorter seasons of just eight episodes — and then wind it up...I was gonna end it after 8, but then I had sort of a brain explosion of a way that I could do three more seasons and really keep my interest up. So the three seasons that are coming up are gonna be pretty different from what has come before, and they’re gonna be different from each other.”

This was somewhat expected after the renewal news was released, but super fans (including this writer) were holding out hope that the show might go full Simpsons and try to keep the training running as long as possible. Alas, that is not the case. Archer is not only one of the few genuinely laugh-out-loud comedies on TV right now, alongside South Park, Silicon Valley, black-ish, and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, it's one of the few shares to take parody as its central idea and to transcend that idea through behavioral tics and a resilient attention to detail. H. Jon Benjamin, Chris Parnell, Aisha Tyler, Judy Greer, and Jessica Walters have all done exceptional voice work in these roles, the kind that underlines each actor's unique, undeniable sense of comic timing and rhythm. It will be said to see it go, but that's still three seasons off and Archer has plenty more one-liners to unleash before the series finale hits.