#8. The Americans
(Season 3)
Still in its third season, it’s too early to tell if ‘The Americans’ will follow the likes of ‘Breaking Bad’ and get better and better every year. The way it’s looking, though, that’s exactly the trajectory the Cold War drama is following. It is a show of loyalties and morals so tangled, you can barely tell the difference in the protagonists and the antagonists - thinking about it now, this show is far too complex for such simplistic character labels. Everybody, whether they are Russian spies trying to destroy America or FBI agents, is simply doing what they believe is right. Does that make them ll good guys? You be the judge. By putting Philip and Elizabeth’s (Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell, better than ever) daughter Paige, played by the impossibly good Holly Taylor, at its narrative center, ‘The Americans’ has found a way to climb to new emotional heights. The secret is out, ideals are clashing, families are being tore down, and teeth are being pulled. Boy, that tooth scene. TV didn’t get more visceral in 2015.
(Season 3)
Still in its third season, it’s too early to tell if ‘The Americans’ will follow the likes of ‘Breaking Bad’ and get better and better every year. The way it’s looking, though, that’s exactly the trajectory the Cold War drama is following. It is a show of loyalties and morals so tangled, you can barely tell the difference in the protagonists and the antagonists - thinking about it now, this show is far too complex for such simplistic character labels. Everybody, whether they are Russian spies trying to destroy America or FBI agents, is simply doing what they believe is right. Does that make them ll good guys? You be the judge. By putting Philip and Elizabeth’s (Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell, better than ever) daughter Paige, played by the impossibly good Holly Taylor, at its narrative center, ‘The Americans’ has found a way to climb to new emotional heights. The secret is out, ideals are clashing, families are being tore down, and teeth are being pulled. Boy, that tooth scene. TV didn’t get more visceral in 2015.