Believe it or not, the only time the voice cast of FX's animated spy series Archer gets together is during events like Comic-Con or the TCA press tour.  So it's a special treat for them to participate in Archer Live!, an in-person event that not only lets the cast members get out of the recording booth and riff on each other in person, but lets them interact with their rabid fanbase in a variety of ways.  Outstanding vocal talent H. Jon Benjamin, Aisha Tyler, Chris Parnell, Amber Nash and Lucky Yates were on hand along with executive producer Matt Thompson to hold a fan Q&A, reenact some favorite scenes, preview episodes of the upcoming fourth season and take us all into the danger zone.

Season three of Archer will be available on DVD and Blu-ray starting January 8th.  The season four premiere of Archer debuts on FX at 10PM ET/PT on Thursday, January 17th.  Hit the jump for a recap of Archer Live! and a preview of season four.

I wasn't exactly sure what to expect when I attended Archer Live!, but it turns out that neither did the cast members.  When asked what they had in store for the audience tonight, Thompson replied:

"A trainwreck...but fun in its trainwreckiness."

Benjamin, the voice of Sterling Archer, replied in his characteristically dry tone:

"A hate letter to fans."

But the fans ate up every minute of the zany event, with set pieces ranging from trivia on Dr. Krieger (proctored by Yates, the voice of the German scientist), an Archer look-alike with the voice of an off-stage Benjamin, a live scene read from the two-part finale of season four, the occasional t-shirt cannon firing accompanied by "Danger Zone," and the eventual fan Q&A.  There was also a preview of season four, but I'll save the spoilery bits for later on in the article.

After Yates finished warming up the crowd with a "We want Krieger!" chant, the rest of the cast members took to the stage.  Archer Live! plays loose and relaxed with plenty of room for improv and surprises.  The first surprise was an exclusive clip played for the audience from an upcoming season four episode, one that danced dangerously close to "tentacle porn."  If you've stopped reading after that last sentence, then Archer is clearly not the show for you, because that shit was hilarious.

After a live scene read of a part of the season four finale, the cast invited an audience member up on stage to read the part of Cyril Figgis as he helps ISIS agent Lana Kane disarm a bomb in the season one episode, "Skytanic."  The cast then reenacted another scene from a recent season three episode, "Drift Problem" in which Pam Poovey becomes a drift car racer.

The entire event was peppered with antics, jabs and sweet moments between the cast members and the audience members themselves.  If you can get to San Francisco on Friday the 4th, Philadelphia on the 11th or New York on January 12th, I'd highly recommend checking out Archer Live! if you're a fan.  Tickets can be found on ticketmaster.com.  Otherwise, you can pick up season three of Archer on DVD and Blu-ray starting January 8th.  Season four of Archer returns to FX starting Thursday, January 17th at 10PM ET/PT.  Continue reading below if you're not afraid of spoilers.

Highlights from the Q&A:

• Dr. Krieger will have some hero moments in the upcoming season and will set up a mission in one episode.
• Krieger will also make "mechanical parts" for Ray Gillette.
• Nash, who voices Pam, was once again forced to eat in the booth while recording her dialogue, to the point that Cheez Ball residue covered everything.
• Cyril will get progressively more badass in the next season.
• Malory Archer will enter into a romance with a character voiced by Jessica Walter's real life husband, Ron Leibman.
• Cyril and Lana will get back together, leaving Archer all alone.
• Tyler was not particularly blown away by Skyfall, saying, "Watch Skyfall.  When no one fucks or curses, come watch Archer."
• Dr. Krieger's full name is Dr. Algernop Krieger and his favorite invention is the "Heavy Gourdinator."
• With Benjamin providing the voice of the real life lookalike Archer stand-in, he confesses to loving German porn because, "it's really serious...people die."
• The scene read from the two-part season four finale involves a Stealth Bomber crash landing in the Bermuda Triangle, which Malory is attempting to sell in a plan that sounds a bit treasonous.  Archer is confused as to why they haven't bombed Bermuda sooner.
• Season four will feature a crossover episode with characters from Benjamin's other animated show, Bob's Burgers, which will "Archer-ify" the main characters.
• Yates is actually a model for the show's character design of Ray Gillette.
• Creator Adam Reed is a Francophile.
• A short sequence was screened that featured Archer injured in an explosion only to come through his plastic surgery looking like Benjamin himself, a short, bald, bearded man who has lost all of his charisma as a secret agent.
• Cheryl/Carol's brother will show up in the finale.
• Pam will attempt to become an agent in season four.
• Season four will also feature an episode that pays homage to Sealab 2021.
• Upcoming guest stars include Timothy Olyphant and Anthony Bourdain, though the season three Blu-ray/DVD has an extra showing a scene with Alton Brown.