HBO Orders Merrick and Treves Animated Series

HBO has ordered two seasons of Merrick & Treves, a half-hour animated workplace comedy created by Adam Reed, Casey Willis and Lucky Yates. The series follows Queen Victoria's Royal Temporal Constabulary agents as they travel through time to hunt Jack the Ripper, according to announcements reported by The Hollywood Reporter and Polygon.

The new show reunites Reed, Willis and Yates, the creative team behind Archer, which ran for 14 seasons from 2009 to 2023. HBO has not announced a release window for Merrick & Treves, leaving its debut timeline dependent on the development process.

The series is set within a secret agency operating under Queen Victoria and combines workplace comedy with time travel elements. ScreenRant reported that HBO placed a two-season order for the project, which also includes executive producer Joel Begleiter and co-executive producer Kelly Wu.

Amy Gravitt, executive vice president of HBO Programming and head of HBO and HBO Max Comedy Series, praised the creators behind the new animated project.

"Adam, Casey, and Lucky are exceptional comedic talents whom we have admired for years. We couldn’t be more excited to team up with them to bring the wholly original MERRICK & TREVES to HBO audiences." said Amy Gravitt, executive vice president of HBO Programming and head of HBO and HBO Max Comedy Series.

Gravitt's statement followed HBO's decision to bring the original animated comedy to its audiences after the network previously aired several animated programs.

The creators also shared their reaction after finding a home for the series at HBO. The project marks another collaboration between Reed, Willis and Yates after their work on Archer.

"We can't wait to start working with the creative team behind so many of our favorite shows," said Adam Reed, Casey Willis and Lucky Yates.

The creators continued discussing their excitement about joining HBO while maintaining the same attribution as the earlier statement.

"It's actually quite daunting, now that we think about it." said Adam Reed, Casey Willis and Lucky Yates.

The creators' longer statement about the series was also released as part of HBO's announcement.

"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 favorite shows. It's actually quite daunting, now that we think about it.

Like, holy shit, y'all. HBO." said Adam Reed, Casey Willis and Lucky Yates.

Archer, created by Reed in 2009, followed secret agent Sterling Archer and his colleagues at the International Secret Intelligence Service. The series ended in 2023 after 14 seasons and received multiple awards, including four Emmy Awards and four Critics' Choice Television Awards for Best Animated Series, according to ScreenRant.