The Americans

The Americans

The Americans starts next week on FX in the States and comes with high hopes that it could be the next spire thriller to test our loyalties like Homeland has done so very, very well.

Starring the horribly underrated Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys as embedded Russian spies in Ronald Reagan’s America, the show will see them try and keep their identities hidden from not only their unknowing children but a new neighbour who just happens to work in the counter-intelligence branch of the FBI.

But, before you say anything, we know what you’re thinking. Sleeper agents we’re meant to sympathise with trying to keep their cover from American eyes? Change FBI for CIA and bring the enemy up to date and you’ve got yourself a little show called Homeland. Think you might have heard of it.

While it won’t have the same sexual frisson as Homeland, the alternative way of looking at friend and foe in the world of intelligence could make it more similar to the Golden Globe winning show than it may appear on first glance.

It’s one of the things that often gets overlooked about the Golden Globe winning show that is actually one of the more thought provoking points. That now we’ll only see the ‘Brody’ side to the story should make this a really interesting show.

The creative force behind the shiow is another aspect that makes The Americans look so appealing. Created by Joe Wesiberg the show has a head that was not only a former CIA agent , but also one of the writers for the underrated Falling Skies and the incredibly enjoyable Damages. With the creator of the fantastic Justified also acting as producer, this is a team very much capable of high standard television.

With Keri Russell in one of the duo of lead roles, the show has a fantastic star too. We can’t wait to see her show off the harder, gun toting side that we cruelly only got to see for a couple of minutes in Mission Impossible 3.

Interestingly, while FX is getting back to its best with shows like Justified, Archer and Ryan Murphy’s fantastically bonkers American Horror Story series, this will in fact be their first realistic period drama (although 1981 isn’t really that far in the past).

With the show trying to make us root for the KGB (something that is going to be far more difficult for Americans than us Brits), The American’s might need all of the tricks in the book to succeed, but if anyone can make America pull for the Soviets, The Americans looks to have a good shot.

 

The Americans starts on January 30th in the States.

FemaleFirst Cameron Smith

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