Gay Life on 'Archer'

As Christopher Rudolph writes over at The Advocate, it's difficult to name an openly gay spy. But with the popular FX animated spy seriesArcher--which premiered its fourth season on FX this week--the smart, handsome, and openly gay spy Ray Gillette may be a "leader in the field," according to the show's creator Adam Reed.

The show revolves around Sterling Archer, the reckless, pompous, womanizing James Bond-wannabe protagonist (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin), who prefers a drink and a damsel over saving the world.

"Well, you know homosexuals are underrepresented in spy fiction," Reed tells The Advocate, who created and voices Ray. "I wanted to right that wrong. He was supposed to be a one-time character; that's why I did the voice. So this guy will be an openly gay agent, and I actually liked him -- he came across as smart, in-control, and as a foil to Archer. FX liked him and told us to keep him around, so we did."

At the end of the last season, Ray was using a wheelchair after being paralyzed. But Reed hints that Ray may walk again (perhaps thanks to a pair of cybernetic legs), and also alludes that Ray may not be the only gay spy viewers see in the new season. Reed says to be on the lookout for "a fellow spy from the past, who is smarter, cooler, better-dressed, and who can out-Archer Archer, and may have had more than a platonic relationship with Archer in the past."
Read the full story on Advocate.com