HBO has given a two-season order to Merrick & Treves, an original half-hour animated comedy from the creative team behind FX’s long-running series Archer. The show, set in Queen Victoria’s top-secret Royal Temporal Constabulary, follows a group of unlikely heroes as they travel through time to prevent Jack the Ripper from altering history. Adam Reed, Casey Willis and Lucky Yates — co-creators and executive producers of Archer, are returning to their signature blend of absurdist humor and high-concept plotting. They also worked together on Adult Swim’s Frisky Dingo. For this project, they’re producing under TFC Productions, with Joel Begleiter serving as executive producer and Kelly Wu as co-executive producer. Reed is represented by UTA, TFC Management and Yorn Levine. Amy Gravitt, EVP of HBO Programming and head of HBO & HBO Max comedy series, praised the trio as ‘exceptional comedic talents’ she’s admired for years, calling the series ‘wholly original’ and expressing excitement about bringing it to HBO audiences. In a joint statement, Reed, Willis and Yates said they were ‘beyond excited’ to land the show at HBO, adding that working with the network’s creative team felt ‘daunting’. ‘Like, holy sh*t, y’all. HBO.’ The announcement marks a notable return for HBO itself to original animated comedy, a space it hasn’t occupied since Animals ended in 2018. While HBO Max has hosted adult animated series like Ten Year Old Tom and Harley Quinn, HBO’s own lineup has been sparse in the genre. Archer, which ran for 14 seasons and 145 episodes from 2009 to 2023, won four Primetime Emmys, including Outstanding Animated Program. Reed is also known for Chozen, Sealab 2021 and 12 oz. Mouse, while Willis contributed voice work to Frisky Dingo and Sealab 2021 before shifting to production. Yates has lent his voice to Exploding Kittens, Cake and Hidden America With Jonah Ray. The premise draws from real historical figures: Joseph Merrick, the man known as the Elephant Man, was exhibited in late 19th-century Britain before being taken in by surgeon Sir Frederick Treves. The Whitechapel district where Merrick lived was also the hunting ground of Jack the Ripper. Online speculation has long circulated that Merrick might have been the killer, a theory the show appears to lean into with its tone. No premiere date has been announced, but the two-season pickup suggests development is underway. The next move? Wait for the first trailer. Or maybe just wait for the time machine to be fixed.