In an era of television that has been spectacular en masse FX has consistently been one of the best providers of content in the tier between exclusively pay cable (HBO and the like) and terrestrial television. One show that’s nearing the end of its run, and arguably one of the best things on television right now, has been The Americans.
Simple premise. Two deep cover KGB agents (Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys) pose as a married couple in the U.S at the height of the Cold War. Their children, like the rest of the world around them, think Elizabeth and Philip are just an average working couple in America. Secretly they help to wage the covert war that defined decades of foreign relations between two superpowers.
This season the two are investigating a defector, among other things, while their children continue to grow up. It’s a much slower season than before, tackling issues and storylines presented in the fourth season. It all feels like a setup for what could be an amazing final season and that’s because the show hasn’t lost sight of why it was so good in the first place.
The thing with The Americans is that the show has a certain elegance to it; while the spy game is certainly afoot the show is still inherently a relationship story told amid spy games.
Nothing of note.
20th Century Fox presents The Americans (Season 5).Created by Joe Weisberg. Starring Matthew Rhys, Keri Russell. Run Time: 135 minutes. Not Rated. Released on: 3.27.18
