"The Americans" has already been airing for four seasons on FX before it earned its first-ever major Emmy Awards recognition. At the Emmy nomination announcement held July 14, "The Americans" was cited as a contender for Best Drama Series, Best Actor for Matthew Rhys, Best Actress for Keri Russell and Best in Writing.
As an acclaimed series about Russian spies in the 1980s, "The Americans" is actually great television that parents must watch. Below are some of the reasons why moms and dads should be tuning to this show and experience why Emmy deemed it one of the best this year.
'The Americans' Is About Marriage
Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell play Phillip and Elizabeth Jennings who are KGB operatives living as an all-American married couple. As spies, they are ordered to steal and kill in their missions. In fact, in the early seasons of "The Americans," Phillip had to marry another woman with ties to the FBI under false identity, while Elizabeth has used her sexuality many times on the show in order to gather intel.
Both are supposedly okay with what they are doing, as their loyalty to their country goes over and beyond their personal relationships. But the reality is, their job causes a huge strain in their marriage, especially since they have two growing children together.
In doing their missions, they have to balance their lives with raising two kids normally. The tension in relationships in "The Americans has been properly encapsulated via The Guardian.
The time has finally come for @joel_fields and @joeweisberg. Congratulations to the cast and crew! #TheAmericans https://t.co/ieHxToen9j
— The Americans (@TheAmericansFX) July 14, 2016
'The Americans' Is About Parenting
Their children, Paige and Henry, both born and raised in America, have no idea their parents are Russian spies. But by the second season of "The Americans," the Jennings finally told their eldest, Paige, the true story.
Unable to process the truth, Paige rebels against her parents and dealing with her has become a real challenge for Phillip and Elizabeth. Paige also has no idea that her parents could eventually recruit her into becoming a spy against America as well. This has caused another strain in the relationship between the couple.
Phillip thinks Paige is not ready, and thus, must be given a choice if she really wants to become a spy. However, elizabeth already wants to groom her for the KGB. Hit Fix has a recap on this parenting dilemma from "The Americans" Season 2.
Congrats to Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys, Margo Martindale and the entire cast and crew of #TheAmericans for their #Emmys2016 nominations! — The Americans (@TheAmericansFX) July 14, 2016
'The Americans' Is About Family And Friendship
At the core, "The Americans" also features other families aside from the Jennings. There's Stan, the Jennings' neighbor, who is an FBI agent and therefore the enemy. However, he has become close to the Jennings and is best friends with Phillip in particular.
Stan doesn't know that his neighbors are spies, or that he's had encounters with them at one point, while on the job. He treats the Jennings kids as his own. In fact, he and Henry bond a lot more than Henry and his own dad. Stan is a single father who has his own parenting and relationship problems in the show.
The Jennings spies on "The Americans" also have a handler who is in some ways a father figure. There are plenty of facets about parenting and family in the series, which has been expounded on Vulture.
"The Americans" will return to FX for its fifth season in 2017. Previous seasons are available on DVD, as well as Amazon Prime and iTunes. Watch a scene from "The Americans" in the video below, which shows a typical and relatable scenario between parents and their teenage child:
