Review: The Americans

The Americans is a television series about two Soviet KGB spies embedded in America as a married couple during the Cold War. They fit in, raise their family, gather intelligence, turn people, plant bugs and sometimes kill people. The characters are intense, attractive, emotional and complicated human-beings. The series stars Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys who received Golden Globe nominations for their performance. They’re joined by a cast of KGB and FBI agents including Russian born Australian actor Costa Ronin.

There are so many good things about this television series. The storylines are utterly captivating. It’s filled with drama, sex, violence, deceit and moments of genuine love. There are tense times followed by resolution which will leave you wanting more.

For those interested in history or politics, it’s a fascinating look at the Cold War and how intelligence agencies operated in a different era. They wore disguises, used dead drops, and recruited revolutionists to their cause.

Parts of the series are spoken in Russian (with subtitles) which adds to the authenticity, although it can get a little difficult to read at 3am after a marathon of viewing.

Audiences are loving the series with Rotten Tomatoes giving it an average rating of 96%.

The sixth and final season has now been released.

Genre: Drama, spy, thriller

Creator: Joe Weisberg

Writers: Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg

Available on Foxtel On demand.