Mastering Slow-Burn Tension In A 6-Season Spy Thriller

“Slow-burn” can sometimes be a backhanded compliment, but when it comes to shows like The Americans, slow-burn is an accurate description and one that does not slander the six-season masterpiece. A period spy drama set during the Cold War, The Americans is a thrilling series of deception and carefully interlaced plots.

Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys co-star as Elizabeth and Philip Jennings, KGB agents who have been posing as an American couple in Falls Church, Virginia. It’s been frequently lauded as one of the greatest shows of all time, and it’s an example of how slow-burn storytelling can make something exceptional when done right.

The Americans Perfected the Art Of Slow-Burn Tension

Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Philip (Matthew Rhys) standing in the kitchen in The Americans season 1 — Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys in The Americans season 1

Slow-burn tension can be tricky to pull off. It requires that your audience wait multiple episodes for a payoff, and in that time, they can very easily get bored. For a slow-burn TV show to work, everything else within the series needs to be pitch-perfect, so audiences don’t tune out while the wax melts.

The Americans accomplishes this with its fantastic characters and compelling family drama aspects. While the Jennings are spying for Russia in the big storylines, they are constantly having to contend with the increasing stress and difficulty of being undercover. It keeps you invested in the series while you wait for the bigger payoffs.

How The Americans Was Different From Other Cold War Stories

The Jennings family standing in front of a fence, Elizabeth (Keri Russell) holding a plate of food in The Americans

The Cold War is fertile ground for TV storytelling with its double agents, intelligent people, and high stakes without the need for high budgets. The Americans sets itself apart from other Cold War stories, however. This is a series where the personal conflict is the center thematically.

While the major storylines involve espionage, they are allegories for the human relationships in the show. The Americans tries to show how the fraught relationship between partners, families, and friends is not so unlike that of international relations, with secrets, communication errors, and the need for trust.

Are There Any Other Shows Like The Americans?

Elizabeth Jennings (Keri Russell) on the train in The Americans finale

As one of the great TV shows, you’ll probably have a tough time finding anything quite as good that has a similar story. Still, there are a few shows worth checking out if you love The Americans. For All Mankind is an excellent sci-fi series that begins in the Cold War, though the tone is much more aspirational.

Homeland and The Night Manager are two popular espionage thrillers that have the same grim tone and slow-burn storytelling style of The Americans, and would be great shows to watch next. Of course, The Americans is so good, you might do just as well to start it over once you finish.