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The Americans
GenrePeriod drama
Serial drama
Spy fiction
Created byJoe Weisberg
Starring
Opening theme"The Americans Theme" by Dominik Hauser
ComposerNathan Barr
Country of originUnited States
Original languagesEnglish
Russian
No. of seasons3
No. of episodes37 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
Production locationNew York
Running time42–50 minutes
69 minutes (pilot)
Production companiesNemo Films
Amblin Television
Fox 21 Television Studios
FX Productions
Original release
NetworkFX
ReleaseJanuary 30, 2013 (2013-01-30) –
present

The Americans is an American television period drama series created and produced by former CIA officer Joe Weisberg.[1] The series premiered in the United States on January 30, 2013, on the cable network FX and its third season premiered on January 28, 2015.

Set during the Cold War period in the 1980s, The Americans is the story of Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Philip Jennings (Matthew Rhys), two Soviet KGB officers posing as an American married couple living in the northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. with their unsuspecting children (Holly Taylor and Keidrich Sellati) and their neighbor, Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich), an FBI counterintelligence agent.[2]

The series focuses on the personal and professional lives of the Jenningses, sometimes incorporating real-life events into the narrative. The show's creator has described the series as being ultimately about a marriage.[3]

On March 31, 2015, FX renewed the series for a fourth season consisting of 13 episodes to premiere in 2016.[4]

Cast and characters

Main article: List of The Americans characters

The surnames of most of the Russian characters are not revealed. In scenes taking place inside the Soviet embassy, the characters address each other in a familiar but respectful manner, using given name and patronymic, without mentioning surnames. "Ivanovich" means "son of Ivan" and "Sergeevna" indicates "daughter of Sergei".

Main cast

  • Keri Russell as Elizabeth Jennings (Nadezhda), a KGB agent
  • Matthew Rhys as Philip Jennings (Mischa), a KGB agent
  • Noah Emmerich as Stan Beeman, an FBI agent
  • Maximiliano Hernández as Chris Amador (season 1), Stan's FBI partner
  • Holly Taylor as Paige Jennings, Elizabeth and Philip's daughter
  • Keidrich Sellati as Henry Jennings, Elizabeth and Philip's son
  • Annet Mahendru as Nina Sergeevna Krilova (recurring season 1, starring seasons 2–3), a KGB agent in the Soviet Embassy.
  • Susan Misner as Sandra Beeman (recurring season 1, starring seasons 2–3), Stan's wife
  • Alison Wright as Martha Hanson (recurring season 1, starring seasons 2–3), Agent Gaad's secretary and Philip's informant
  • Lev Gorn as Arkady Ivanovich Zotov (recurring seasons 1–2, starring season 3), the KGB's Rezident
  • Costa Ronin as Oleg Igorevich Burov (recurring season 2, starring season 3), the Soviet embassy's new Science and Technology officer, actually a privileged son of a Party member who got the appointment through his father so he could enjoy the comforts of the United States.
  • Richard Thomas as Agent Frank Gaad (recurring seasons 1–2, starring season 3), an FBI supervisor

Supporting cast

  • Margo Martindale as Claudia, the Jennings' KGB supervisor
  • Daniel Flaherty as Matthew Beeman, Stan's son
  • Peter Von Berg as Vasili Nikolaevich, a former KGB Rezident
  • Derek Luke as Gregory (season 1), a former civil rights activist—now a traitor who works for KGB—who has a past romantic link with Elizabeth Jennings.
  • Wrenn Schmidt as Kate (season 2), the Jennings' new KGB handler
  • Kelly AuCoin as Pastor Tim (seasons 2–3), the head of a church Paige Jennings attends
  • Frank Langella as Gabriel (season 3), the Jennings' former KGB supervisor

Production

Conception

The Americans was created by Joe Weisberg, a former CIA officer.[1] Despite its spy setting, Weisberg aimed to tell the story of a marriage.[5] "The Americans is at its core a marriage story. International relations is just an allegory for the human relations. Sometimes, when you're struggling in your marriage or with your kid, it feels like life or death. For Philip and Elizabeth, it often is."[6] Executive producer Joel Fields described the series as working different levels of reality: the fictional world of the marriage between Philip and Elizabeth, and the real world involving the characters' experiences during the Cold War.[6]

"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 and showrunner of The Americans[3]

Working at the CIA, which Weisberg later described as a mistake, has helped him develop several storylines in the series,[7] basing some plot lines on real-life stories,[7] and integrating several things he learned in his training, such as dead drops and communication protocols.[8] Weisberg was fascinated by stories he had heard from agents who served abroad as spies, while raising their families.[8] He was interested in bringing that concept to television, with the idea of a family of spies, rather than just one person.[8] Weisberg also told how the CIA inadvertently gave him the idea for creating a series around spies, explaining, "While I was taking the polygraph exam to get in, they asked the question, 'Are you joining the CIA in order to gain experience about the intelligence community so that you can write about it later'—which had never occurred to me. I was totally joining the CIA because I wanted to be a spy. But the second they asked that question ... then I thought, 'Now I'm going to fail the test.'"[9]

Weisberg was partially influenced by the events of the Illegals Program to write a pilot script for the series. His research material included notes on the KGB's Cold War left by Vasili Mitrokhin and conversations with some of his former colleagues at the CIA.[5] He stated that, unlike the circumstances involving the 2010 Russian spy ring, he had opted to set the story in the early 1980s because "a modern day [setting] didn't seem like a good idea", adding, "People were both shocked and simultaneously shrugged at the [2010] scandal because it didn't seem like we were really enemies with Russia anymore. An obvious way to remedy that for television was to stick it back in the Cold War. At first, the '70s appealed to me just because I loved the hair and the music. But can you think of a better time than the '80s with Ronald Reagan yelling about the evil empire?"[5]

After reading Weisberg's novel, An Ordinary Spy, executive producer Graham Yost discovered that Weisberg had also written a pilot for a possible spy series. Yost read the pilot and discovered that it was "annoyingly good", which led to the beginning of motions to develop the show.[10]

Casting

Weisberg stated that he had no idea about who would star in the series before casting began.[11] FX president John Landgraf had the idea to cast Keri Russell in the series.[11] Leslie Feldman, the head of casting at DreamWorks, saw Matthew Rhys in a play and suggested him to Weisberg.[11] Russell and Rhys had met briefly at a party years before, but were not fully introduced.[12] They both were attracted to the series because of its focus on the relationship between their characters. Said Rhys, "You have two people who have led the most incredibly strange life together with incredibly high stakes, in this scene of domesticity that is an absolute lie, and at the end of the pilot they’re finding each other for the very first time."[12]

Russell described the pilot script as "interesting", continuing, "It was so far from a procedural. And [originally,] I didn't know that I wanted to do it. I always say no to everything. I never want to do anything. [Laughs.] But I just couldn't stop thinking about it. I read it ... and I kept trying to figure it out, because it's so not clear. It's still not clear to me. But there's so many different levels to it."[13] Rhys said of his character, "He's a sort of gift of a part in that he's very sort of layered and multi-faceted. And when you meet him, he's at this great turning point in his life where everything's changing for him. You just get to do everything. You get to do the kung fu, and you get to do the emotional scenes, you get to do the disguises. It's the full package for an actor. It's a dream."[13] Noah Emmerich was initially hesitant about taking a role in the series. He explained: "The truth is, from the very beginning, I thought, 'I don't want to do a TV show where I carry a gun or a badge. I'm done with guns and badges. I just don't want to do that anymore.' When I first read it I thought, 'Yeah, it's really interesting and really good, but I don't want to be an FBI guy.'"[14] His friend, Gavin O'Connor, who directed the pilot episode, convinced him to take a closer look at the role.[14] Emmerich stated that he responded to the aspect of marriage and family. "It was really interesting, and it was really intelligent and unusual, and it stood out from the pack."[14]

After recurring in the first season, Susan Misner, Annet Mahendru, and Alison Wright, who play Sandra Beeman, Nina, and Martha Hanson, respectively, were promoted to series regulars beginning with season two.[15][16] After recurring in the first two seasons, Lev Gorn, who plays Arkady Ivanovich was promoted to series regular for season three.[17]

Filming and locations

The series films in New York City[18] at Eastern Effects Studios in Brooklyn.[19] Other shooting locations include: Mamaroneck,[20] Coney Island Avenue,[21] Kew Gardens,[22] and Farmingdale.[23] Shooting of the pilot episode began in May 2012 and lasted until mid-June.[24] Filming began for the rest of the first season in November 2012 in the New York City area. The production used location shots to simulate a dramatic setting of Washington, D.C. Early filming was delayed by flooding caused by Hurricane Sandy.[19] Filming for the second season commenced in October 2013.[7]

Series overview

Main article: List of The Americans episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
113January 30, 2013 (2013-01-30)May 1, 2013 (2013-05-01)
213February 26, 2014 (2014-02-26)May 21, 2014 (2014-05-21)
313January 28, 2015 (2015-01-28)April 22, 2015 (2015-04-22)
413March 16, 2016 (2016-03-16)June 8, 2016 (2016-06-08)
513March 7, 2017 (2017-03-07)May 30, 2017 (2017-05-30)
610March 28, 2018 (2018-03-28)May 30, 2018 (2018-05-30)

The general plot of The Americans follows two KGB Directorate S agents, Nadezhda and Mischa, as they pose as an American couple, Elizabeth and Phillip Jennings, and attempt to carry out covert intelligence operations shortly after Ronald Reagan election to President, while keeping their cover identity safe from outsiders and their children.

Season 1 follows Stan Beeman turning Nina Krilova into an American spy in the Rezidentura. After Beeman kills Vlad, a young and inexperienced KGB officer in retaliation for his partners murder, Nina becomes a triple agent, confessing to the Rezident. The season ends after Nina blows an operation to capture Elizabeth picking up a dead drop under surveillance, but Elizabeth is shot and badly wounded.

Season 2 follows the Jennings attempting to capture technology and data relating to the United States efforts to develop stealth aircraft. At the same time, Elizabeth and Phillip attempt to solve the murders of two other Directorate S operatives, Leanne and Emmet. Believing that Captain Larrick, a Navy SEAL, is responsible, they agree to free him from blackmail after he gets them access to a training camp for Nicaraguan Contras. At the end of the season, discovering that Jared, Leanne and Emmets son, murdered them after they discovered he'd been recruited by the KGB. They are then approached by Claudia, their handler, who informs them that their daughter Paige has been selected as the next recruit, under a program to develop "Second Generation Illegals" who can pass background checks and presumably be hired by the FBI and the CIA.

Reception

Critical reception

Season 1

The first season of The Americans received positive reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it received a 90 percent approval rating from critics based on 48 reviews,[25] while Metacritic scored the show a 78 out of 100 based on 35 reviews.[26] The American Film Institute listed it as one of the top ten television series of 2013.[27] Rob Brunner of Entertainment Weekly described it as "an absorbing spy thriller"[28] while David Hinkley of the New York Daily News praised the pace, noting that "It's a premise that requires as much clever dramatic footwork as you might expect, and creator Joe Weisberg, a former CIA agent, handles the challenge".[29] Verne Gay of Newsday called it a "smart newcomer with a pair of leads that turns The Americans into a likely winner" and gave it a grade of an "A-".[30]

Some reviews were not as optimistic. The Washington Post was cautious in its outlook, stating how, "it’s easy to see how stale it might get in a matter of episodes."[31] Variety, while finding the concept "intriguing and provocative", ultimately concluded that, "The execution... isn't worthy of the premise."[32]

Season 2

The second season received critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, it received a 97 percent approval rating based on 37 reviews,[33] while Metacritic scored the show an 88 out of 100 based on 31 reviews.[34] Several entities have rated the show among the best television for 2014, including the American Film Institute, The A.V. Club, and Grantland.[35][36][37] Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter called the series "one of television’s finest dramas" and praised the ability of the writers in "nailing down season two... by picking up where the story left off and making sure that this spy-vs.-spy thing has real-life costs."[38] Rob Owen of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette praised the series for doing "the near-impossible of making viewers cheer for Russian spies in America and at the same time for the American FBI agents who are trying to unmask those Russians living in suburbia."[39] Alan Sepinwall of HitFix praised the second season, stating how the show has, "taken a major creative leap—the kind that can elevate a show from a strong example of its era to one that transcends eras."[40]

Mary McNamara of the Los Angeles Times did not approve of its portrayal of the children, expressing concern for how viewers are expected to accept the dangerous situations the children are placed in while the show continues to use crime and violence to advance the story in "The Americans" and other like-minded shows.[41] The New York Daily News questioned its survivability: "Credibility starts to fray when our heroes, or anti-heroes, keep needing miraculous last-second evasions and escapes."[42]

Season 3

The third season's initial reviews have been strongly positive. Rotten Tomatoes lists a 100 percent approval rating based on 40 reviews, while Metacritic lists a score of 92 out of 100 based on 23 reviews.[43][44] Alessandra Stanley's review in The New York Times states that, "'The Americans' is an unusually clever, subtle drama that uses the conventions of a Cold War thriller to paint a portrait of a complicated, evolving but not unhappy marriage...[E]very season gets more complicated, and is all the better for it."[45] Maureen Ryan of The Huffington Post declared that the first four episodes were "every bit as taut and finely crafted as the stellar prior season of the show."[46]

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by The Americans

International broadcasts

The Americans airs internationally in Australia on Network Ten,[47][48] Canada on FX Canada,[49] Ireland on RTÉ Two,[50] and the United Kingdom on ITV.[51][52] ITV dropped the series in January 2015 and did not acquire the third season.[53]

Home media releases

The first season was released on DVD and Blu-ray in region 1 on February 11, 2014,[54] in region 2 on March 24, 2014,[55] and in region 4 on February 5, 2014.[56] Special features include audio commentary on "The Colonel" by Joe Weisberg, Joel Fields and Noah Emmerich; three featurettes—"Executive Order 2579: Exposing the Americans", "Perfecting the Art of Espionage", and "Ingenuity Over Technology"; gag reel; and deleted scenes.[54]

The second season was released only on DVD format in region 1 on December 16, 2014,[57] and in region 2 on January 26, 2015.[58] Special features include two featurettes—"Operation Ghost Stories: The Real Directorate 'S'" and "Shades of Red: The Mortality of the Americans"; gag reel; and deleted scenes.[57]

In literature

Counterterrorism and Cybersecurity: Total Information Awareness (Second Edition) is a scholarly book which examines U.S. counterterrorism history, technologies, and strategies from a thought-provoking approach that includes the make-believe of Hollywood such as 24, Homeland, and The Americans TV series. It quotes Richard Thomas (who plays FBI Agent Frank Gaad) that The Americans is "a TV show that asks us to give a human face to people we might consider our enemies, to understand the underlying humanity, complexity, and conflicts of people on both sides of any particular divide."[59]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Holson, Laura M. (March 29, 2013). "The Dark Stuff, Distilled". The New York Times. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  2. ^ Harnick, Chris (August 9, 2012). "'The Americans': FX Orders Cold War Spy Series Starring Keri Russell". The Huffington Post. Retrieved October 30, 2012.
  3. ^ a b Arnold-Ratliff, Katie (March 12, 2013). "Spy vs. Spy: A Q&A with The Americans Creator Joe Weisberg". Time. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  4. ^ Hibberd, James (March 31, 2015). "The Americans renewed for season 4". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c Waxman, Olivia B. (January 30, 2013). "The real CIA behind 'The Americans'". Time. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  6. ^ a b Thomas, June (January 31, 2013). "A Conversation With The Americans Showrunners Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields". Slate. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  7. ^ a b c Leeds, Sarene (October 5, 2013). "'The Americans' Invade New York's Paley Center". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  8. ^ a b c "DIRECTV Interview: The Americans Masterminds Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields". DirecTV. April 24, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2013.
  9. ^ Bernstein, Paula (October 7, 2013). "'The Americans' Changes Focus in Season Two and Other Intel from PaleyFest". Indiewire. Retrieved October 25, 2013.
  10. ^ Brioux, Bill (January 30, 2013). "The Americans debuts on FX Canada Jan. 30". The Canadian Press. Retrieved January 31, 2013.
  11. ^ a b c Radish, Christina. "Creators Joseph Weisberg and Joel Fields Talk THE AMERICANS Season Finale, Crafting the Cliffhanger, Season 2, and More". Collider. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  12. ^ a b Egner, Jeremy (January 24, 2013). "The Spy Who Married Me: Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys on 'The Americans'". The New York Times. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  13. ^ a b Prudom, Laura (January 30, 2013). "'The Americans' Premiere: Keri Russell And Matthew Rhys Talk Sex, Spy Games And America Vs. Russia". The Huffington Post. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  14. ^ a b c Potts, Kimberly (March 11, 2013). "Yahoo! TV Q&A: 'The Americans' Star Noah Emmerich on His Character, His Twitter, and His Celebrity BFF". Yahoo. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
  15. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (March 8, 2013). "Americans Ups Susan Misner to Series Regular". TVLine. Retrieved March 14, 2013.
  16. ^ Mitovich, Matt Webb (May 7, 2013). "FX's The Americans Promotes Two for Season 2". TVLine. Retrieved May 7, 2013.
  17. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (September 5, 2014). "Lev Gorn Upped To Regular On 'The Americans', Books 'NCIS' Arc". Deadline.com. Retrieved September 6, 2014.
  18. ^ ""The Americans" Filming On The UWS Today". The Upper West Side blog. December 3, 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  19. ^ a b "FX's 'The Americans' Studio Flooded by Hurricane Sandy; Shooting Delayed (Exclusive)". TheWrap TV. November 7, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  20. ^ "FX television pilot 'The Americans' filming in Mamaroneck". Sound Shore. June 18, 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  21. ^ "The Americans, FX Television Show, Filming On Coney Island Avenue". Sheepshead Bites. October 11, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  22. ^ Swanson, Carl (February 25, 2013). "How The Americans Blew Up a House". Vulture. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  23. ^ "FX television show 'The Americans' takes over Adventureland in Farmingdale". Newsday. October 15, 2013. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  24. ^ "FX pilot 'The Americans' begins filming in NYC this week". On Location Vacations. May 20, 2012. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
  25. ^ "The Americans: Season 1 (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  26. ^ "The Americans: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  27. ^ Gray, Tim (December 9, 2013). "AFI Names Best Movies and TV Shows of 2013". Variety. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  28. ^ Brunner, Rob (January 25, 2013). "The Americans Review". Entertainment Weekly: 113.
  29. ^ Hinkley, David (January 30, 2013). "TV review: 'The Americans'". New York Daily News. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  30. ^ Gay, Verne (January 28, 2013). "'The Americans' review: Spy drama another FX winner". Newsday. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
  31. ^ Stuever, Hank (January 29, 2013). "'The Americans': A tense look back at spies like us". The Washington Post. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  32. ^ Lowry, Brian (January 29, 2013). "Review: 'The Americans'". Variety. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  33. ^ "The Americans: Season 2 (2014)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  34. ^ "The Americans : Season 2". Metacritic. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  35. ^ Poniewozik, James (December 8, 2014). "AFI Names Best TV of 2014, From The Americans to Transparent". Time. Retrieved December 8, 2014.
  36. ^ Adams, Erik (December 11, 2014). "The best TV shows of 2014 (part 2)". The A.V. Club. Retrieved December 11, 2014.
  37. ^ Greenwald, Andy (December 17, 2014). "The 10 Best TV Shows of 2014". Grantland. Retrieved February 25, 2015.
  38. ^ Goodman, Tim (February 26, 2014). "The Americans: TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  39. ^ Owen, Rob (February 20, 2014). "Tuned In: New series, episodes on track after Olympics". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved March 31, 2014.
  40. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (February 25, 2014). "Review: FX's 'The Americans' takes a big leap forward in season 2". HitFix. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
  41. ^ McNamara, Mary (February 26, 2014). "Review: The overlooked victims in 'The Americans' — the kids". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  42. ^ Hinckley, David (February 26, 2014). "'The Americans': TV review". New York Daily News. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
  43. ^ "The Americans: Season 3". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
  44. ^ "The Americans : Season 3". Metacritic. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  45. ^ Stanley, Alessandra (January 28, 2015). "Navigating a Cold War, at Work and at Home 'The Americans' Returns to FX With Season 3". The New York Times. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
  46. ^ Ryan, Maureen (January 28, 2015). "8 Reasons (Among Many) To Love 'The Americans'". The Huffington Post. Retrieved January 30, 2015.
  47. ^ "About the Show". Network Ten. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  48. ^ ""Smart, different, authentic" underpins TEN in 2013". TV Tonight. October 23, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  49. ^ Brioux, Bill (January 30, 2013). "The Americans debuts on FX Canada Jan. 30". Toronto Star. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
  50. ^ "RTÉ TEN TV Picks of the Day". RTÉ Ten. May 30, 2013. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
  51. ^ "ITV acquires drama The Americans from Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution". ITV. January 28, 2013. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  52. ^ "The Americans". ITV. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  53. ^ Jeffery, Morgan (January 8, 2015). "ITV drops The Americans, won't acquire third season". Digital Spy. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
  54. ^ a b Lambert, David (December 4, 2013). "The Americans - Finalized Street Date, Extras, Packaging for 'The Complete 1st Season'". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved December 4, 2013.
  55. ^ "The Americans - Season 1 [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved July 12, 2013.
  56. ^ "Americans, The: Season 1". EzyDVD. Retrieved December 11, 2013.
  57. ^ a b Lambert, David (October 14, 2014). "The Americans - Fox Announces DVDs for 'The Complete 2nd Season'". TVShowsOnDVD.com. Retrieved November 16, 2014.
  58. ^ "The Americans Season 2 [DVD]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved November 11, 2014.
  59. ^ Lee, Newton (2015). Counterterrorism and Cybersecurity: Total Information Awareness (Second Edition). Springer International Publishing Switzerland.
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