Predictability rarely bodes well on television. Expected plot twists, cliched dialogue and lack of excitement can often turn viewers off from shows. As a result, many television shows decide to retool by changing an essential element of the show.  

The fifth season of Archer brilliantly avoided this problem. Fans and critics were not complaining about the show’s quality, but Adam Reed, the creator of the FX animated comedy, subverted expectations by seamlessly altering the entire premise of the show and preventing a potential plateau for the witty series. 

“It’s the challenge to keep it fresh and interesting,” Reed said in an interview with The A.V. Club. “I think probably all writers have the fear of repeating themselves over and over. It’s sort of a way to hopefully make sure I’m not doing that.” 

The first four seasons of Archer focused on the International Secret Intelligence Service, a spy agency during the Cold War era. In the fifth season premiere, viewers find out the United States government never recognized ISIS, turning the show on its head. The premiere explored the consequences of ISIS’s misdeeds, and the gang avoids charges when ISIS Director Malory signs a deal at the expense of ISIS closing its doors. The show throws a substantial curveball by revealing a massive amount of cocaine hidden in the ISIS offices, and the former employees decide to form a drug cartel. 

The twist was wacky, but it fits perfectly with Archer’s off-kilter nature. The premiere ended with highlights from future episodes, assuring viewers the idiosyncrasy and quality of the show will be maintained. The show’s title card now reads Archer Vice, cementing the series’ new direction. The premiere reached a series-high 1.6 million adult viewers, according to zap2it.com. 

Part of the reason the reinvention was so successful is because Archer is animated. Many shows have been as ambitious as Archer, but their lack of resources has prevented them from seeing as much success. 

Still, Archer’s achievement should not be understated. Television shows retool all the time, mostly resulting in anger from fans and swift cancellations. How many times have you seen a television show add an annoying child to the cast in an attempt to generate buzz or avoid staleness? It’s understandable, though, because few shows stack up to Breaking Bad and can maintain the same level of quality from beginning to end. 

Many of these retools are referred to as “jump the shark” moments, a reference to a 1977 episode of Happy Days in the show’s fifth season when Fonzie jumped over a shark on water-skis. Jon Hein, a radio personality on The Howard Stern Show, coined the term to describe when television shows feature a gimmick to entice viewers, usually prompting the decline of that show. 

Hein created a website — jumptheshark.com — compiling about 200 moments from television shows that “jumped the shark.” He sold his company to the owners of TV Guide in 2006, according to an article from The Huffington Post.

Jump the shark moments are debatable, but are always fun talking points in the discussion of popular television shows. Did The Office go downhill in the final two seasons without Steve Carell’s popular Michael Scott? Did Friends really need to explore a relationship between Rachel and Joey? Should Scrubs have ended before its ill-fated ninth season when many of its stars did not return? 

While fans can deliberate about the moments before their favorite shows began to decline, Archer averted this discussion with its recent twist. 

Jump the shark moments often come at a time when shows want to increase viewership, put off cancelation or address the beginning of a decline. Archer, however, abandoned its premise at a time when few were complaining about the show’s quality and, as evidenced by the high ratings, the show was more popular than ever. Archer’s major twist cannot be categorized with the gimmicky retools of other shows because Reed’s decision was purely creative. 

“I just sat back down and started thinking about Archer and also dismantling what had been a perfectly good motorcycle,” Reed told The A.V. Club. “And at some point in there, I don’t know, the idea just popped into my head that this might be a good thing to try.” 

Archer’s reinvention was additionally successful because the show is in touch with its fans. In promotion for the new season, the show put ads on Reddit, revealing a keen awareness of Archer’s large following on the site. More than 65,000 Reddit users are subscribed to Archer’s page on the site. Reed and his cohorts know what fans will like and dislike and could predict the fifth season change would be one that went over well within the fan base. 

This season feels significantly fresh and new storylines are able to emerge — the lovable Pam is addicted to cocaine; Cheryl is embarking on a country music career, and Lana is dealing with a badly timed pregnancy. Reed also revealed Archer recorded a real country album for the season that features Kenny Loggins, an oft-mentioned musician on the show. 

There is no telling how the reinvention of Archer will affect the future of the show. Whether this is the last season or the show produces five more, the decision to revamp stands out in the television landscape for its daringness and creativity. 

Archer is on a two-week hiatus for the Winter Olympics, but check out diamondbackonline.com for last week’s recap. New episodes and our recaps will return Monday, Feb. 24 on FX.