Review of The Americans

Most of episodes here are just average, some are great and some are just not. The ones that work overall make watching the whole show worth it. It's written for TV and you can tell by somewhat traditional and formualic way the episodes and seasons are structured, even the way plot beats within episodes are structured. It's at its best when details matter and storytelling is visual. This is a more common approach early on, but still returns in the best episodes later. I wish the latter half of it was more serialized with the rest. I also feel like some the kids could've been utilized more and in more interesting ways. I really would've liked to see a scene where at least Paige realizes what their parents' job actually encompasses and how many they've killed. This is especially annoying when you see how some plots early on were stretched to milk viewer interest. There are also several plots that seemingly exist to keep actors hired despite their characters having nothing relevant to do. All this fluff and this stuff never comes up?

So, the highs make it worth watching, but I can't see myself ever rewatching the whole thing; maybe the best parts. I don't regret watching it once, though.