Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Okay. From the very first time I saw an advert for this show, I was intrigued. Finally, a new show with a unique premise - I just had to watch it, if only to get away from the 10th reincarnation of one of those once-successful cop shows. And what an ambitious premise it is: Set in 1980's Washington D.C., the "Americans" in question are in fact not Americans at all, but Russian sleeper-spies, sent to the U.S. in the 1960's but only being activated (at least for the more dangerous capers) in the 1980's time-frame. Of course, the first question I asked myself was if they would be able to pull off the 1980's Cold War 'feel'. Personally, I think they were successful at this - the show definitely has that 80's aura, and the period clothing, technology, and mind-sets of the characters is spot-on. I also really love the way these "Americans" have their own struggles, in addition to the work itself. The characters deal with such issues as their true feelings inside an arranged 'marriage' of long standing, the impact of those feelings on their work, their relationship to their two children (who do not know that their own parents are in fact KGB spies!), the relative levels to which Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Phillip (Matthew Rhys) have been assimilated into the evil capitalistic culture of America, and perhaps the best part of all - their struggles in dealing with their new KGB 'handler' Claudia, played magnificently by Margo Martindale. The characters are very likeable and appropriately conflicted, if flawed, and not since Tony Soprano have I found myself 'rooting for the bad guys' to this extent. The acting on the part of the entire cast is great, the writing tight, and I don't feel as though things are being dragged out endlessly - the show moves along, which is good. Here's hoping that S2 will be as good as S1. If so, we are in for a wild ride indeed!