The 2010s were a period of change for television. The shows born from the first wave of the Golden Age had either already ended (The Sopranos, The Wire) or would be gone by the time it reached its midpoint (Breaking Bad, Mad Men). And yet, we also entered an era of Peak TV, with more scripted series being made than ever before. And, of course, later on there was the pivot to streaming, which has continued to be the defining aspect of TV through the 2020s. With all of that going on, it’s understandable if you missed a great show or 20.
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One such series arrived on this day in 2013, premiering on FX: The Americans. Set during the Cold War, it followed a married couple, Elizabeth and Philip Jennings (Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys), who lived a quiet suburban life of normality with their children… but were secretly KGB intelligent officers. It juxtaposes their real job with their “fake” life, as they attempt to balance the two and they inevitably bleed together. The pilot, directed by Gavin O’Connor (Warrior, The Accountant) and written by creator Joe Weisberg (Falling Skies), was a thrilling introduction, and what followed was all time great TV.
The Americans Is One Of TV’s Greatest Thrillers (With A Perfect Ending)
The Americans never quite got the love it deserved. Ratings wise, the most it averaged for a single season was 1.8 million, and that was for the very first. It was critically acclaimed (96% on Rotten Tomatoes), but frequently overlooked when it came to awards season: it was nominated for Outstanding Drama Series at the Emmys twice, but deserved so much more (though Rhys did win Best Actor for the sixth and final season).
The show never got the attention of some of TV’s flashier thrillers from a similar era, like Breaking Bad or True Detective. And yet, it’s every bit as good. The performances from the entire cast – particularly Russell – are sublime, the writing is sharp and tight, and it uses its premise for a mix of intense thrills, emotional heft, and occasional comedy. It’s a rare show that runs six seasons where it’s brilliant from start to finish, but that’s exactly what this is. It arguably dips slightly in Season 5, but it picks it right back up for the final run, and the last episode is one of the most perfect series finales in recent memory.
Is it a Cold War spy thriller, or is it really a family drama? As the fake marriage begins to become a real one, and those lines are increasingly blurred, the series only becomes more and more fascinating to watch. The Americans deserves to be talked about as one of the best TV shows of the 21st Century, perhaps even of all time. It never got the kind of breakout that Breaking Bad had with streaming on Netflix, but it deserves all those plaudits, and if you’ve never seen it – or, hell, even if you have – it should be near the top of your watchlist.
The Americans is available to stream in the U.S. on Hulu.
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