The Americans
| The Americans | |
|---|---|
| File:AmericanSeriesTeaser.jpg Promotional image | |
| Genre | Period Drama |
| Created by | Joe Weisberg |
| Starring | Matthew Rhys Keri Russell Noah Emmerich Keidrich Sellati Holly Taylor Maximiliano Hernandez Margo Martindale |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 1 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | Graham Yost Justin Falvey Daryl Frank |
| Production companies | Amblin Entertainment Fox Television Studios |
| Original release | |
| Network | FX |
| Release | January 30, 2013 – present |
The Americans is an American television series which premiered on January 30, 2013, on the FX network. It is a 1980s Cold War drama about a group of Soviet KGB officers who have been trained to impersonate American citizens, so that each one can become a sleeper agent, with a cover which may even include an unwitting spouse and family.[1]
Cast
Main
- Matthew Rhys as Phillip Jennings
- Keri Russell as Elizabeth Jennings
- Noah Emmerich as Stan Beeman
- Keidrich Sellati as Henry Jennings
- Holly Taylor as Paige Jennings
- Maximiliano Hernandez as FBI Agent Chris Amador
Supporting
- Margo Martindale as Claudia, the Jennings KGB supervisor.
- Richard Thomas as an FBI supervisor.[2]
Production
Concept
In 2010, Weisberg, former CIA spy, was inspired by the events of the Illegals Program to write a script about a family of Russian spies. His research material included notes on the KGB’s Cold War left by Vasili Mitrokhin and conversations with some of his former colleagues.[3] During a Times Interview, Weisberg explained that, unlike the circumstances involving the 2010 Russian spy ring, he had opted to set the story in early 80s because "...a modern day [setting] didn’t seem like a good idea. 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?"[3]
"So I wanted to do a show about a husband and a wife and their children who don’t know and how it affects the kids. We always conceived of The Americans as a show about a marriage, more than espionage, that shows how, even under the craziest circumstances, the marriage still looks and feels like any other marriage." Joe Weisberg[3]
Development
Casting
Reception
Reception for the series has been mostly postive. On Metacritic, the series received generally favorable reviews, reflected by a Metascore of 78 out of 100. Many critics commended the plot and performance of the leads. Rob Brunner of the Entertainment Weekly described it as "an absorbing spy thriller[4] 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".[5] Gail Pennington, television critic for The St. Louis Post-Dispatch gave The Americans a rating of three out of four stars. In her review of the debut episode, Pennington stated "The Americans isn't just a heart-pounding action drama; by presenting heroes that are also villains, it also confronts viewers with TV's deepest moral dilemma since The Sopranos." [6] Said Glenn Garvin of The Miami Herald about the lead characters: "If the Russians had agents this convincing the Cold War might have turned out differently."[7]
A few critics were however unimpressed with the series. Kyle Smith of the New York Post gave the opening episode a lukewarm review, saying "..the Americans at the moment seems to fall uneasily between the methodical and the campy."[8] Hank Stuever of the Washington Post criticized the pacing of the show observing that "..the Americans struggles to crack a certain code; the concept is tantalizing, but the follow-through lacks the momentum that gets viewers to commit."[9]
Episodes
| # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Production code |
U.S. viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | Gavin O'Connor | Joe Weisberg | January 30, 2013 | BDU179 | |
| 2 | "The Clock"[10] | Adam Arkin[10] | Joe Weisberg[10] | February 6, 2013[11] | BDU101 | |
| 3 | "Gregory"[12] | Tommy Schlamme[12] | Joel Fields[12] | February 13, 2013[11] | BDU102 | |
| 4 | "In Control"[13] | Jean de Segonzac[13] | Joel Fields & Joe Weisberg[13] | February 20, 2013[11] | BDU103 | |
| 5 | "Comint"[14] | February 27, 2013[11] | BDU104 | |||
| 6 | "Trust Me"[15] | March 6, 2013[11] | BDU105 | |||
| 7 | "Duty and Honor"[16] | March 13, 2013[11] | BDU106 | |||
| 8 | "Mutually Assured Destruction"[17] | March 20, 2013[11] | BDU107 | |||
| 9 | TBA | March 27, 2013[11] | TBA | |||
| 10 | TBA | April 3, 2013[11] | TBA | |||
| 11 | TBA | April 10, 2013[11] | TBA | |||
| 12 | TBA | April 17, 2013[11] | TBA | |||
| 13 | TBA | April 24, 2013[11] | TBA |
See also
References
- ^ "'The Americans': FX Orders Cold War Spy Series Starring Keri Russell". The Huffington Post. 9 August 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
- ^ Tucker, Ken (30 January 2013). "The Americans premier review: Are you rooting for these Russians?". Entertainment Weekly.com. Retrieved 31 January 2013.
- ^ a b c Olivia B. Waxman. "The real CIA behind 'The Americans'". The TImes. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
- ^ Rob Brunner. "'The Americans' review: Spy drama another FX winner". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
- ^ David Hinkley. "The Americans: Review". New York Daily News. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
- ^ Pennington, Gail (30 January 2013). "TV Review: FX's The Americans makes Cold War hot". The St. Louis Post-Dispatch website. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
- ^ Garvin, Glenn (30 January 2013). "FX's 'The Americans' a family spy drama you should not miss". The Miami Herald via website. Retrieved 30 January 2013.
- ^ Kyle Smith. "The Americans". New York Post. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
- ^ Hank Stuever. "The Americans: A tense look at spies like us". Washington Post. Retrieved January 30, 2013.
- ^ a b c "(#102) "The Clock"". The Futon Critic.
{{cite web}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help); Text "urlhttp://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings/20130115fx04/" ignored (help) - ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l "Shows A - Z - The Americans on FX". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
- ^ a b c "(#103) "Gregory"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 23, 2013.
- ^ a b c "(#104) "In Control"". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 29, 2013.
- ^ "AMERICANS, THE - 01 - COMINT". Fox Fast. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
- ^ "AMERICANS, THE - 01 - TRUST ME". Fox Fast. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
- ^ "AMERICANS, THE - 01 - DUTY AND HONOR". The Futon Critic. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
- ^ "AMERICANS, THE - 01 - MUTUALLY ASSURED DESTRUCTION". Fox Fast. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
