The series was released by FX Network and produced by its creator, Joe Weisberg. That’s a spy thriller that takes place in the 1980s. That’s the period of Cold War. The premiere episode was released on the 30th of January 2013.
Original Concept
The Americans series was created, developed and produced by Joe Weisberg. In the past, he was a CIA officer. The story is based on spy setting, but Weisberg decided to pay more attention to a marriage story. The story follows Jennings’ life events – their professional and personal life issues. That’s a unique story about marriage. For example, Philip and Elizabeth, the main characters of the story, exist on different reality levels: their fictional family life and their real life experiences in time of the Cold War.
Weisberg describes his former work for CIA as a big mistake. However, this mistake helped him to created ultimate plotlines based on real life stories. Weisberg was inspired by other spy agents’ stories. They had to deal with secrecy and spy affairs trying to balance them with their family life events. That’s not just a family spy thriller – it’s a story of real people facing complex life circumstances.
Plot
The plotline mostly follows Nadezhda and Mischa. They are KGB agents working undercover as Elizabeth and Philip Jennings, American married couple. Their task is to deal with covert operations right after the election of Ronald Reagan. Elizabeth and Philip investigate murders and capture the ones attempting to realize them. They cooperate with the other operatives and uncover the secrets of FBI bosses.
Reception
In 2014, The Americans was called one of the best TV projects on TV. All of the season released received maximum positive ratings and favorable reviews from the critics and from the viewers. The third one turned out to be the most successful in the franchise. The show was called intriguing, provocative and dramatic. Some critics called it an absorbing spy thriller. It’s got great dramatic work – Joe Weisberg was smart enough to break through this challenge.
Some critics didn’t like the presence of children in the series filled with violence and dangerous crime issues.
Renewal and New Seasons
Season 4 of The Americans was released on the 16th of March 2016. On the 25th of May the series was prolonged for two more seasons. The 5th season consisting of 13 episodes is going to be released in 2017. In 2018, it will be followed by the 6th season consisting of 10 episodes. The 6th season is planned to be the final one in the series.
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