TV Show Recommendation: The Americans (2013-2018)

Posted on 10/31/2022 by Pisaries Creator

“The most interesting thing I observed during my time at the CIA was the family life of agents who served abroad with kids and spouses. The reality is that mostly they’re just people going about their lives. The job is one element and trying to depict the issues they face just seemed like something that, if we could bring it to television in a realistic way, would be new.”
-Joe Weisberg, creator of The Americans-

This is long overdue but when I watched this, the show had already ended by three years, and yet everything that happened in the show still rings true today. There are operatives in Russia and the U.S. that work undercover. Some have partners. Others have families. They have jobs. They carry out their double lives and operate without any hesitation. The Americans has to be one of the better shows made in the last ten years. From the first season to the season finale, the varying storylines were brutally realistic, heart wrenching at points, and sometimes sadistically necessary to convey the spy life. There was much collateral damage and casualties throughout the show and much of it done by the two main characters, a husband-and-wife team, named Elizabeth and Philip Jennings (later known as Nadezha and Mischa). They are played by Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys. Their children Paige and Henry Jennings are played by Holly Taylor and Keidrich Sellati. They are suspected by their new neighbor, who happens to be an FBI agent of Stan Beeman and played by Noah Emmerich. As the seasons progress, the missions the Jennings are sent on become more dangerous as the Cold War progresses and the chances of being discovered by the FBI and their own children increase with each season. The recurring characters of Nina Krilova, Martha Hanson, Arkady Zotov, Oleg Burov, and Frank Gaad add great depth to the show. The intensity from start to finish and the gut punch ending is what made The Americans a must watch show.

I rate The Americans FOUR FINGERS and ONE THUMB at 100%.