Remember when “Homeland” was really, really good? When Brody was still alive and Claire Danes had not yet worn out her wild-eyed welcome with her CIA colleagues? It’s still possible to recapture that lost magic by watching “The Americans,” another series full of sexy intrigue and foreign-relations drama, which kicks off its second season Wednesday on FX.
Here are 5 reasons why you should start watching this show:
It has a fantastic premise
Russian spies infiltrate the DC suburbs and enjoy a seemingly banal existence as Phillip and Elizabeth Jennings (Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell), a couple of married travel agents with two kids and a demanding espionage schedule. Fun setup, but that could never happen in real life, right? It could and did. “The Americans” was inspired by real-life Russian Foreign Intelligence Service agents Lydia and Vladimir Guryev, who posed for 15 years as Cynthia and Richard Murphy of Montclair, NJ. The “Murphys” were discovered and arrested, along with eight fellow spies, in 2010 (their beige colonial was put on the market last spring by the US Marshals Service.)
The best is yet to come
It’s not much of a stretch to say that “Homeland’s” best days are behind it; after all that has transpired, all the terrorists killed and plots foiled and loves lost and won and hung in a public square in Tehran, where will it go from here? Is Carrie Mathison (Danes) going to put a new spin on the Mommy Wars as a single mother now heading up the Istanbul bureau of the CIA? While the show’s next steps are anyone’s guess, “The Americans” is just getting started, with only one exquisitely paced season under its belt. It opts for the slow burn, gathering tension as the season progresses.
The soundtrack rocks
Songs that have been long since dismissed as easy listening fare are given new life on the show, from Fleetwood Mac’s “Tusk” to “Queen of Hearts” by Juice Newton to Peter Gabriel’s creepy Cold War hit, “Games Without Frontiers.”
That early ’80s vibe
Set in 1982 in the DC suburbs, the decor of the Jennings house is so spot-on, you’ll think you stepped back into . . . 1982 in the DC suburbs. Even more true-to-life? Most of the stuff you’ll see around the house is actually from the early ’70s. “We figured, the Jennings would have gotten ‘married’ in the early ’70s and would have purchased their pieces then,” says set decorator Andrew Baseman. “Then you have an added layer: [The house and everything in it] is a history that Russians are creating, Russians pretending to be Americans pretending to be married, and they’re best friends with an FBI agent, so nothing can be off.” As for the fashion, while “1982” and “suburbs” don’t exactly conjure up chic, the show does for turtleneck sweaters what “Scandal” does for white pantsuits; you know they’re not a good idea, but you’ll want them anyway. Russell and Rhys make suburban domesticity look very stylish indeed.
There is life after “Felicity”
Just as Claire Danes’ turn as Carrie has all but erased memories of her ’90s teen-angst drama show “My So-Called Life,” the stunning Russell is so convincing as a reserved Soviet agent/suburban mom, you’ll have to remind yourself that this the same person who played wholesome college student Felicity Porter on “Felicity.” Added bonus: Her chemistry with co-star Matthew Rhys is so great, they’re rumored to be dating in real life, although Rhys denies it (a recent headline on People.com read “Even My Mom Thinks I’m Dating Keri Russell, Says Her Costar Matthew Rhys.”)