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[Cornballer]

After a stellar second season, The Americans returns for a 13-episode third season on Wednesday, January 28th at 10pm on FX. Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys star as two KGB spies posing as Americans in Washington D.C. in the 1980's. The cast also includes Noah Emmerich, and Frank Langella will be guest-starring this season. Joe Weisberg is serving as showrunner with a few other EP's, including Graham Yost, helping out. The S2 dvd is out in stores now, and you can also watch on Amazon Prime if you're interested in catching up on the series.

The Americans is a period drama about the complex marriage of two KGB spies posing as Americans in suburban Washington D.C. shortly after Ronald Reagan is elected President. The arranged marriage of Philip (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell), who have two children – 14-year-old Paige (Holly Taylor) and 12-year-old Henry (Keidrich Sellati), who know nothing about their parents’ true identity – grows more passionate and genuine by the day, but is constantly tested by the escalation of the Cold War and the intimate, dangerous and darkly funny relationships they must maintain with a network of spies and informants under their control. The trickiest of Philip’s sources continues to be Martha (Alison Wright), the assistant to Special Agent Gaad (Richard Thomas). In order to ensure her continued loyalty, Philip, in the guise of FBI bureaucrat “Clark,” one of his numerous cover identities, marries her. Things were going smoothly until Martha began pressuring Clark to start a family. Their neighbor, FBI Agent Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich), could also prove to be a renewed threat. When forced to choose between betraying his country or his KGB double-agent and paramour Nina (Annet Mahendru), Stan chose the USA. Nina has been sent back to Moscow to face charges of treason, much to the dismay of her boss Arkady (Lev Gorn), Director of the KGB Rezidentura. In addition to his rededication to his mission of uncovering the identities of the Russian spies living among them, Stan is also attempting to rebuild a relationship with his estranged wife, Sandra (Susan Misner). Meanwhile, in the Jennings’ house, Philip and Elizabeth find themselves at odds over Paige’s future now that the KGB has made it clear that they want her to join the family business.

Cast:

• Keri Russell as Elizabeth Jennings
• Matthew Rhys as Phillip Jennings
• Noah Emmerich as Agent Stan Beeman
• Holly Taylor as Paige Jennings
• Keidrich Sellati as Henry Jennings
• Annet Mahendru as Nina
• Susan Misner as Sandra Beeman
• Alison Wright as Martha Hanson
• Richard Thomas as Special Agent Frank Gaad
• Lev Gorn as Arkady

Guest cast:

• Frank Langella as Gabriel
• Costa Ronin as Oleg Burov

Videos (please spoiler tag discussion of promotional material)

• Official S3 Trailer
• "Polygraph" 30-second teaser
• New teaser
• The Americans look back (IMDB vid, S1-S2 recap)
• First Look (sneak peek scenes and cast & crew discussion on S3)
• "Face Off" teaser
• Season 1 recap vid (youtube)
• Season 2 recap vid (youtube)
• The Americans - clip from comic con
• The Americans NY Comic-Con: Nina
• The Americans NY Comic Con - Alter Egos
• The Americans NY Comic-Con: Stan
• The Americans NY Comic-Con: Elizabeth and Paige

Links

• FX official site
• IMDB
• Wiki
• Facebook
• Twitter
• NeoGAF Season 1 Thread
• NeoGAF Season 2 Thread

News:

• Lev Gorn Upped To Regular On ‘The Americans’
• HitFix report from the NYCC panel
• Frank Langella Joins ‘The Americans’ Season 3
• Karen Pittman cast on The Americans
• THR: 'The Americans' Adds Julia Garner
• A couple of teases from Yahoo's Winter TV Preview
• ITV Drops FX’s Cold War Spy Drama ‘The Americans’
• TV Guide's Winter TV Preview with a few tidbits on what's coming up

Reviews & Comments

Just finished first two eps of #TheAmericans S3. Multiple layers of awesome in what's shaping up to be a drop-the-mic kind of season.

Sorry to gush, but 12 hours after watching The Americans S3 premiere episodes, I'm still thinking about the show.

S3 Poster:

 

[TheOddOne]

Great OT as always, Cornballer.

Can't wait!

 

[HIGH DEF JEFF]

Uninformed prediction.
Beeman dies this season.

 

[Linius]

Love that black and white art.

 

[Cornballer]

Uninformed prediction.
Beeman dies this season.

Wouldn't be surprised if he was killed or if Martha dies.

 

[HIGH DEF JEFF]

Wouldn't be surprised if he was killed or if Martha dies.

Cant have a successful TV show without killing a main character.

 

[Pryce]

A true "Golden Age" drama. Also, I want that poster. Right now.

Cant have a successful TV show without killing a main character.

Mad Men

Spoiler

waited five seasons before killing off a regular character.

 

[Alpende]

That .gif is cool. Nice OP.

 

[Cornballer]

Cant have a successful TV show without killing a main character.

On a lot of shows, I can see your point, but given the nature of The Americans, someone getting killed wouldn't feel like a cheap stunt in most cases.

 

[rockman zx]

Really excited for this season, please don't screw the show with the Paige storyline.

 

[Grizzo]

Really excited for this season, please don't screw the show with the Paige storyline.

I have faith in the writers. The whole series has been fantastic up to this point.

 

[Funky Papa]

Subbed.

Really excited for this season, please don't screw the show with the Paige storyline.

So far they've handled the kids rather well, and it's not like they are bad actors at all. I'm sure Paige's storyline will be fine.

 

[Big-E]

Can't wait. My only complaint from last year is that Phillip turned into death incarnate with him being able to take out any number of people at any time.

 

[Funky Papa]

Can't wait. My only complaint from last year is that Phillip turned into death incarnate with him being able to take out any number of people at any time.

But how fun was that?

 

[IronRinn]

Finally buckled down and started watching this (feel like I've been saying that in a lot of threads lately, lots of tv to catch up on) and we're almost done with season two, so I'll be around for the season three premiere. Show has been stellar so far. After The Strain, SoA, and AHS: FS it's nice to be reminded that FX does actual quality television.

 

[Big-E]

But how fun was that?

It was, it just started to seem more and more unbelievable that he downing that many people with nothing happening to him.

 

[EnlightenedMint]

Great OT and I love those black and white photos, this week is going to drag on.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Quick questions: Is this show good? Should I watch the first seasons?

 

[IronRinn]

Quick questions: Is this show good? Should I watch the first seasons?

Quick answers: Yes. Yes.

 

[Cornballer]

Quick questions: Is this show good? Should I watch the first seasons?

Yes & yes. It's my favorite show of 2014, it was #3 on the Metacritic 2014 Critic's poll, and #6 on the Hitfix Critic's Poll.

 

[Meier]

I heard season 2 was good but man, I just got so bored of it.. quit it after like the 2nd or 3rd episode. Maybe some day we'll come back to this show, but I don't really feel any need to.

 

[Dreams-Visions]

Fantastic. Thanks, guys.

 

[torontoml]

Subbing to stay updated

 

[Linius]

I heard season 2 was good but man, I just got so bored of it.. quit it after like the 2nd or 3rd episode. Maybe some day we'll come back to this show, but I don't really feel any need to.

And you're still wrong. I will tweet praise of every episode and you will read those tweets till you're sick of me. And then you'll watch it. Okay?

 

[Currygan]

Bring it on, best American show on TV

 

[Funky Papa]

I heard season 2 was good but man, I just got so bored of it.. quit it after like the 2nd or 3rd episode. Maybe some day we'll come back to this show, but I don't really feel any need to.

I don't know how you'd get there, but S2 turned into hot fire.

Spoiler

The part where they broke into the US Army compound

was :O

 

[Cornballer]

 

[lazybones18]

I'm so ready, my comrades.

But seriously, I can't wait

 

[Rehynn]

I've been spreading the gospel of this show since episode 1 and have actually managed to get a few friends into it - and they all became fans. Can't wait for what's next!

 

[ZZMitch]

So readyyyy

 

[ReturnOfTheRAT]

Another show returning. 1 week baby!!!

 

[Niraj]

Looking forward to the new season

 

[Cornballer]

Keri Russell on the Tonight Show yesterday:
- Inflatable Flip Cup with Keri Russell
- Keri Russell Has Intense Family Nerf Wars

 

[Philippo]

^i bet she plays like Elizabeth would do.

 

[Grizzlyjin]

I binge watched Season 2 after it was added to Amazon Prime Instant Video so i'm ready for Season 3. Love this show, probably one of the more underrated (by the general public) shows on television. I had so many friends talk about watching the last season of Sons of Anarchy, and I'm like "...what about Justified? Have you started watching The Americans yet? Where are on Hannibal?" I'm an annoying friend.

Season should be pretty tense with Elizabeth and Philip at odds about Paige.

 

[RatskyWatsky]

Great OT. I'm really looking forward to this.

The art direction for the promo stuff is so fucking good!

 

[AngmarsKing701]

Fabulous OT. Very excited for this. That flip cup video was funny. Fallon is a nut.

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

Holy crap can't believe this is starting already. Should be amazing.

 

[BTM]

Just finished watching the first 2 seasons on Amazon Prime, and damn what a great show. The Americans have shot up to my 2nd favorite thing on television right now behind only Game of Thrones. Can't wait for the premier!!

 

[-Pyromaniac-]

Just finished watching the first 2 seasons on Amazon Prime, and damn what a great show. The Americans have shot up to my 2nd favorite thing on television right now behind only Game of Thrones. Can't wait for the premier!!

it's such a shame how much this show flies under the radar. I don't even understand why. It has a cool premise and good actors and everything.

 

[Cornballer]

- Columbus Alive review:

Throughout its stellar first two seasons, FX’s Cold War spy drama “The Americans” has been incredibly adept at creating tension. Whether using spy-craft action set-pieces or more human conflicts among characters, “The Americans” is often an edge-of-your-seat series. With that said, the early episodes of Season 3 ratchet the tension up another level.

 

[BTM]

it's such a shame how much this show flies under the radar. I don't even understand why. It has a cool premise and good actors and everything.

I know. It wasn't really on my radar until I went through the top TV shows of 2014 thread and many of the sites quoted along with some gaffers had The Americans in their top 10 and some even had it at #1. I figured I should check it out since it was on Amazon Prime and I'm really glad I did.

 

[EnlightenedMint]

- Columbus Alive review:

I'm not sure I can handle a higher level than last season.

 

[rude]

This, Hannibal and The Knick are my favorite shows on television right now. Can't wait for it to start back up.

 

[Currygan]

it's such a shame how much this show flies under the radar. I don't even understand why. It has a cool premise and good actors and everything.

I seriously hope they don't ditch some of the finesse the show has in favour of more mainstream choices, that would be terrible. S2 was great, but I noticed a slight shift in tone expecially regarding the Russians, but thankfully it was not enough to become annoying. Hopefully the show keeps striking that balance in S3 and seasons to come

 

[metalslimer]

Watched this whole show 2 weeks ago, and was shocked at how good it was.

 

[CouldBeWorse]

Can't wait. It's easily up there as must see TV along with Mad Men and GoT.

Langella is great but we NEED more Margo

 

[NickatNite]

Bring it on. Love the first 2 seasons

 

[rockman zx]

Keri was great on Fallon, anyone saw it?.

 

[Cornballer]

The art direction for the promo stuff is so fucking good!

Yup. Between the teasers, the poster, and the black and white photography, they've done a great job.


FX offices right now: