The Americans (season 4)


The fourth season of the American television drama series The Americans, consisting of 13 episodes, premiered on FX on March 16, 2016, and concluded on June 8, 2016.
The events of the fourth season begin immediately after the events of the last episode of the third season in March 1983 and end on the night of Super Bowl XVIII, January 22, 1984, which Paige and Matthew are watching at Stan's house in the finale.

Cast

Main

The series was renewed for a 13-episode fourth season on March 31, 2015. In April 2015, FX announced Frank Langella would continue his recurring role on the series. The season began principal photography on October 13, 2015. Broadway veteran Ruthie Ann Miles was cast as a new acquaintance of one of Elizabeth's guises. Writing for the season had been completed by January 28, 2016; and the final day of filming was March 9, 2016.

Episodes

Reception

Critical response

The fourth season received widespread acclaim from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, it received a 99 percent approval rating with an average score of 9.2 out of 10 based on 45 reviews, with a critics consensus of: "With its fourth season, The Americans continues to deliver top-tier spy drama while sending its characters in directions that threaten to destroy their freedoms – and their lives. On Metacritic, the season has a score of 95 out of 100 based on 28 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".
Vikram Murthi of The A.V. Club gave it a perfect "A" grade and wrote, "If the fourth season reminds viewers of anything, it's that The Americans has a masterful control of tone, doling out horror and slow-burn dread like very few of its contemporaries." Ben Travers of Indiewire also gave it an "A" grade and wrote that the season "is on the equally stellar level of its predecessors". Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com praised the series and wrote, "It is that depth of character and nuance in the writing that elevates The Americans, along with its willingness to offer stunning narrative developments. I'm now convinced that when we close the final chapter of this televised novel we may finally appreciate one of the best shows we've ever seen."
Maureen Ryan of Variety reviewed the show praising it for its refusal to go in "cartoonish or preposterous directions" which they point out how the industry has a "cacophony of shows doing superficially outrageous things for attention" and that it "grows louder by the day." They also point out that Elizabeth and Philip are now "even more untenable, and the show has never been one to drag out developments past their potency."
Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone said that "the acting is impeccable" and that it "keeps getting more intense as it goes along, hitting harder than any drama on television right now."

Accolades

For the 32nd TCA Awards, The Americans won for Outstanding Achievement in Drama, was nominated for Program of the Year and Keri Russell was nominated for Individual Achievement in Drama. For the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards, the series received five nominations, for Outstanding Drama Series, Matthew Rhys for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Keri Russell for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for the season finale "Persona Non Grata", while Margo Martindale won for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. The prior omissions that the show has received at the Emmys was considered to be snubbed by the Emmys in the drama and acting categories by critics.
For both the 7th Critics' Choice Television Awards and 74th Golden Globe Awards, Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell were nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress in a Drama Series, respectively. For the 69th Writers Guild of America Awards, the series won the award for.