Matt Thompson

Matt Thompson was a prolific TV writer and producer who was best known for co-creating the hit animated spy series "Archer" (FX, 2009-). Thompson got his start in television by doing various odds and ends for the Cartoon Network in the early '90s. It was there that he met his future collaborator Adam Reed. The two young men were both fairly low on the totem pole at the network, but had a wacky idea for their own show. After smoothing over their premise, Thompson and Reed pitched an idea called "High Noon Toons" (Cartoon Network, 1994-95), which was basically just three hours of various cartoons introduced by hand puppets. The show only lasted for a year, but Thompson and Reed would return five years later as co-creators of the adult-themed cartoon "Sealab 2021" (Adult Swim, 2000-05). The show's surreal, at times absurdist content was a hit with viewers, and aired for four seasons on the network. After "Sealab 2021" ended its run in 2005, Thompson and Reed co-created two more shows for Adult Swim, "Frisky Dingo" (2006-08) and "The Xtacles" (2008). Both shows, however, failed to attract the same wave of attention as "Sealab 2021." Then in 2009, Thompson reteamed with Reed once again to co-create an animated spy series for FX called "Archer." That show was an instant hit, averaging over a million viewers for each episode. The show also received a 2014 Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Animated Program," a first for Thompson.