The Americans season 5
season of television series
The fifth season of the American television drama series The Americans, comprising 13 episodes, aired on FX from March 7 to May 30, 2017. The show moved to Tuesdays, having aired on Wednesdays for its first four seasons.
The events of the fifth season take place between February 1984 and August 1984, shown by the reference to the TV broadcasts of the 1984 Winter Olympics in episode 1 and the coverage of Ronald Reagan's "We begin bombing in five minutes" joke in episode 13.
Cast
Main
Keri Russell as Elizabeth Jennings (Nadezhda), a KGB officer
Matthew Rhys as Philip Jennings (Mischa), a KGB officer
Brandon J. Dirden as FBI agent Dennis Aderholt
Costa Ronin as Oleg Igorevich Burov, a KGB officer
Keidrich Sellati as Henry Jennings, Elizabeth and Philip's son
Holly Taylor as Paige Jennings, Elizabeth and Philip's daughter
Noah Emmerich as FBI agent Stan Beeman
Special guests
Alison Wright as Martha Hanson
Recurring
Frank Langella as Gabriel, the Jennings' KGB handler
Margo Martindale as Claudia, the Jennings' replacement KGB handler
Laurie Holden as Renee
Danny Flaherty as Matthew Beeman, Stan's son
Kelly AuCoin as Pastor Tim, the minister at Paige's church
Peter Jacobson as Agent Wolfe, new head of FBI counterintelligence
Ivan Mok as Tuan Eckert, a Vietnamese agent acting as the adopted son of the Jennings' newest cover identities
Alex Ozerov as Mischa Semenov, Philip and Irina's son
Alexander Sokovikov as Alexei Morozov, a scientist and Soviet defector
Irina Dvorovenko as Evgheniya Morozova, Alexei's wife
Brett Tucker as Benjamin Stobert, an employee of Agri-Corp, Elizabeth's mark in Topeka
Clea Lewis as Deirdre Kemp, vice-president of production and distribution at Agri-Corp, Philip's mark in Topeka
Zack Gafin as Pasha Morozov, Alexei and Evgheniya's son
Darya Ekamasova as Sofia Kovalenko, a TASS employee
Julia Garner as Kimberly "Kimmy" Breland, daughter of the head of the CIA's Afghan desk
Boris Krutonog as Igor Burov, Oleg's father, head of the Soviet Ministry of Railways
Snezhana Chernova as Yelena Burova, Oleg's mother
Ravil Isyanov as Ruslan, an OBKhSS investigator
Konstantin Lavysh as Father Andrei, a Russian Orthodox priest
Production
In May 2016, FX renewed the series for a 13-episode fifth season to air in 2017; and a sixth and final 10-episode season to air in 2018. The season began principal photography on October 11, 2016; filming was completed on March 13, 2017.
Episodes
Reception
Critical response
The fifth season has received widespread critical acclaim. On Rotten Tomatoes, it received a 95% approval rating with an average score of 9.09 out of 10 based on 37 reviews, with a critics consensus of: "In its penultimate season, The Americans brings long-simmering storylines to a boil while heightening the spy-thriller stakes and deepening the domestic drama—all brought vividly to life by superb performances from its veteran cast." On Metacritic, the season has a score of 94 out of 100 based on 19 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Matthew Gilbert of The Boston Globe gave it a highly positive review and wrote, "The drama remains as tense as ever, with strong, careful writing and an abundance of fine performances". Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter also lauded the series, "It's extremely well-constructed, with slow-burning storylines that are paying off in superb dramatic depth" and praised its "top-tier acting" and "artfully crafted visuals".
In regards to the premiere, some criticisms came from Emily VanDerWerff of Vox who noted that the symbolism of "spending a long time digging a hole so deep that you probably can't escape it—while knowing you'll lose friends along the way—is a little on-the-nose", while Mike Hale of The New York Times was not very excited with the first episode's "grainy montage set to martial music that began with images of collectivist agricultural might before segueing to blighted fields and long lines outside stores." Libby Nelson of Vox thought that "the agriculture plot was the weakest link" in the second episode.
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