This 2013 Drama Was Ranked the Best Spy Series in Television History
Imagine this scenario. The KGB sends two of its best spies to the United States, marries them to each other, tells them to create an actual family, and then plops them in the middle of mainstream suburban life next door to an FBI agent hunting... Soviet spies.
That's the plot of The Americans, the hit FX television series that ran from 2013 through 2018. The plot lent itself to endless emotional nuances; do the main characters, married for expediency, actually love each other? Will they get caught? Is their friendship with their FBI agent neighbor real? And it's set against the milieu of the 1980s, in the age of Reagan and during the height of Cold War fears.
And now the series has been named the best spy drama in history.
The Americans Explored 'Loyalties, Relationships & the Price of Deception'
Fans of the site Ranker gave The Americans the highest number of votes on a list of the more than 70 "best spy TV shows" of all time. The series is now available on Hulu.
"Set during the height of the Cold War, viewers get an intimate look at a pair of Soviet spies posing as everyday Americans, navigating the challenges of maintaining cover while executing covert operations," Ranker wrote. "This compelling series explores loyalties, relationships, and the price of deception in a world where no one is ever entirely safe."
“I thought Elizabeth should be kind of Brigitte Nielsen—this cool, sexy spy lady,” actress Keri Russell, who starred in the show with Matthew Rhys, told Vanity Fair. "Elizabeth is very much an adult to me—she dresses in silk shirts, her hair’s blown out, she has tough boots on, she’s not afraid to look everyone in the eye and live in the uncomfortable, weird silences. She’s not trying to make anyone feel better about anything."
(Photo by ANGELA WEISS / AFP) (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
Rounding out the top five, in order, were Person of Interest; Homeland; Burn Notice; and The Black List.
The Americans also scored high on Rotten Tomatoesfrom both critics and audiences. Critics gave it a 96% fresh rating, and regular viewers gave it 94%.
"The arranged marriage of Philip and Elizabeth Jennings grows more passionate and genuine by the day, but as the pressures and demands of the job grow heavier, the personal toll becomes almost too exhausting to bear, especially when it comes to protecting their American-born children, Paige and Henry," the blurb says.
Rotten Tomatoes also noted the complicated friendship between the principal characters and their neighbor, an FBI agent, Stan Beeman, who doesn't realize that two Soviet sleeper agents are living in the house next door.
Fans Praised 'The Americans' Television Series for Its 'Epic' Ending
Fans praised the show on the YouTube page for its trailer. "One of the few long-running shows that totally stuck the landing. The ending really sealed this as one of the greatest dramas of all time," wrote one person.
"The most criminally underappreciated TV show in history," wrote another. "This was one of the very best shows! From beginning to the devastating, shocking and heartbreaking finale. The show ending still gets me, especially with the U2 song 'With or without you' adding to the tension and heartbreak," noted a fan.
"The series finale was EPIC….perfectly written, perfectly acted. Honestly, the BEST ending to a show ever," concurred a fan.
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