HBO Orders Jack the Ripper Comedy From Archer Team

What HBO Just Ordered

HBO has given a two-season order to a new half-hour animated comedy called Merrick & Treves. The series comes from three alumni of FX’s Archer — Adam Reed, Casey Willis, and Lucky Yates — who are serving as co-creators and executive producers. The order was announced on October 13, 2026, by Amy Gravitt, executive vice president of HBO programming and head of HBO and HBO Max comedy series.

Gravitt said in a statement: “Adam, Casey and Lucky are exceptional comedic talents whom we have admired for years” and “We couldn’t be more excited to team up with them to bring the wholly original ‘Merrick & Treves’ to HBO audiences.”

The Archer Connection

Adam Reed created Archer and served as its showrunner and executive producer throughout its run. Casey Willis also executive produced the series. Lucky Yates was a principal voice actor on the show, best known for playing Dr. Algernop Krieger and other recurring characters. Archer ran for 14 seasons and 145 episodes between 2009 and 2023 on FX and FXX, winning four Primetime Emmy Awards including Outstanding Animated Program. The series became a cult favourite for its rapid-fire dialogue, genre parodies, and long-form storytelling.

Adam Reed and Casey Willis have a shared history that extends well beyond Archer. Before Archer, the pair worked together on Adult Swim’s Frisky Dingo, a satirical action-comedy that aired from 2006 to 2008. Lucky Yates also voiced characters on Frisky Dingo. The new project marks the first time the trio have collaborated on a series together since those earlier shows, and their long creative partnership is a significant part of what drew HBO to the project.

The Logline

The official logline reads: “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 co-creators released a joint statement: “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 favourite shows. It’s actually quite daunting, now that we think about it.”

The show is produced by TFC Productions, the production arm of TFC Management. Joel Begleiter executive produces and Kelly Wu serves as co-executive producer. No premiere date, episode count, or cast has been announced.

Who Were the Real Merrick and Treves?

The title evokes two figures from Victorian England who have long been linked, speculatively and sometimes conspiratorially, to the Whitechapel murders of 1888. Frederick Treves was a prominent surgeon, best known for his care of Joseph Merrick, the so-called “Elephant Man,” who suffered from severe physical deformities and became a well-known figure in late Victorian London after being exhibited and then sheltered by Treves at the London Hospital.

Over the decades, a range of conspiracy theories have connected various Victorian figures to the Jack the Ripper killings, though no credible historical evidence ties either Merrick or Treves to the murders. The show’s use of their names appears to be a creative hook rather than a claim of historical accuracy — a fictional pairing that fits the series’ comedic, genre-bending premise. The decision to build a comedy around Victorian-era crime is also a notable genre mash-up that blends historical fiction with science fiction and procedural comedy.

What the Order Means for Adult Animation on HBO

This is HBO’s first animated series order in a number of years. The network’s last in-house animated series was Animals, created by Phil Matarese and Mike Luciano, which ran for three seasons through 2018. HBO Max, the streaming sibling, has carried animated comedies such as Ten Year Old Tom and Harley Quinn, but those were streaming-first orders rather than HBO linear productions.

A two-season order from HBO signals confidence in the creative team and in the half-hour animated comedy format. The fact that it is an HBO and HBO Max comedy — rather than a streaming-only title — also suggests the network sees it as a prestige project that can anchor a broader programming strategy. Adult animation has found enormous success on streaming platforms and at adult-swim-style outlets, and HBO’s move into the space with a proven team suggests the network wants a foothold in that audience.

What a Two-Season Order Means in Practice

Two-season orders are relatively uncommon in television. They typically indicate that a network has high confidence in a show’s creative vision and wants to provide stability beyond the usual one-season renewal cycle. For Merrick & Treves, the two-season commitment means the writers’ room can plan longer arcs, and the production team can build sets, hire staff, and develop the show’s visual style without the immediate pressure of proving itself after a single season.

The half-hour animated format also positions the show differently from HBO’s typical one-hour dramas. Animated comedies can be expensive and time-intensive to produce, so a two-season order gives the studio, TFC Productions, the runway it needs to manage production schedules and build a pipeline of episodes. The involvement of Joel Begleiter as executive producer and Kelly Wu as co-executive producer adds further experienced oversight to the production.

No Premiere Date Yet

With the order just announced, details about when Merrick & Treves will premiere, how many episodes will comprise each season, and who will voice the characters remain unknown. The two-season commitment means the show’s development arc is mapped out for at least two years, giving the creative team room to build the world of the Royal Temporal Constabulary without an immediate renewal cliff.