"spies"

2013 · 6 Seasons · FX · Drama / Thriller

The Americans took a premise that could have been a pulpy spy thriller and turned it into one of the most psychologically complex dramas of its era, built on two lead performances that rank among the finest television has produced. The marriage between Philip and Elizabeth Jennings is the show's true subject, and it gives the espionage framework an emotional weight that pure genre work rarely achieves. Season five's pacing issues are a legitimate stumble, and the show's intensity can make it feel more like an obligation than entertainment in its darker stretches. Those are small costs for a series that stuck its landing so perfectly that its final scene may leave you thinking about it for days.