Intimate betrayals hurt worse on ‘Americans’
How do you create and sustain an espionage drama when the daily headlines read like something out of “The Manchurian Candidate”? Since 2013, “The Americans” (10 p.m., FX, TV-MA) has not only reinvented and reinvigorated the spy vs. spy drama, it seems to have turned the genre inside out.
Thrillers like “James Bond” movies never imagined the private lives of secret agents. Despite his license to kill, 007 would never have taken his Aston Martin out of the driveway if he had a wife and kids to worry about. “24” managed to evoke Jack Bauer’s former wife and pesky daughter, and often involved plots where both the president and his (or her) adversaries were never far from the family tree.
But “The Americans” has placed the action, and the tension, right in the home. Over four seasons, KGB spies Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Philip Jennings (Matthew Rhys) have done their dirty work, both in the back alleys of Reagan-era Washington, and the kitchens, church halls, hotels and living rooms of the people they have deceived by assuming multiple identities and entering into numerous marriages, friendships and love affairs.
Spy thrillers have always been preposterous, asking us to suspend disbelief as James Bond, Jack Bauer and Carrie Mathison persevered through gunfire, explosions, drug addictions, psychotic breakdowns and other ordeals. If anything, “The Americans” asks the most of its audience. How on earth can Elizabeth and Philip keep their stories straight? Are there enough hours in the day for them to slip in and out of so many wigs and alter egos?
As season five begins, their parental and professional radar is on high alert as their daughter, Paige (Holly Taylor), grows ever closer to Matthew (Daniel Flaherty), the son of their friendly neighbor Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich). He’s an FBI agent who continually turns a blind eye to a Russian plot right in front of his eyes. Now that’s hard to believe!
‘POOH’ ADVICE
Famous for a line of YouTube advice (“Don’t go to the ocean; the ocean is the shark’s house”) that became a viral video sensation, Veronica “Pooh” NashPoleate gets a show of her own, “She’s In Charge” (10 p.m., TLC), and a platform for her common-sense advice. Proof that the age of the internet can turn 15 minutes of fame into an eight-episode cable deal.
SCHUMER STANDUP
Beginning today, Netflix streams “Amy Schumer: The Leather Special” a standup concert taped last November at Denver’s Bellco Theatre.
TONIGHT’S HIGHLIGHTS
› More blind auditions on “The Voice” (8 p.m., NBC, TV-PG).
› A different kind of party on “This Is Us” (9 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
› The mountain people have plans for the annual coal parade on “Outsiders” (9 p.m., WGN, TV-14).
› A Muslim student’s death raises questions on “Chicago Justice” (10 p.m., NBC, TV-14).
› Lara Spencer hosts “People Icons” (10 p.m., ABC), a celebration of celebrities, from Liz and Dick to Beyonce and Jay Z, who have graced the pages of checkout counter glossy magazines.
› McGee’s apartment has a sketchy history on “NCIS” (8 p.m., CBS, TV-14).
› Election season on “New Girl” (8 p.m., Fox, repeat, TV-14).
› Mike tries to salvage a softball season on “The Middle” (8 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
› Wally has visions on “The Flash” (8 p.m., CW, TV-PG).
› Tricking Sabrina on “The Mick” (8:30 p.m., Fox, repeat, TV-14).
› Katie feels dispensable on “American Housewife” (8:30 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
› Skydiving can be dangerous on “Bull” (9 p.m., CBS, TV-14). ›
Death at the demolition derby on “Bones” (9 p.m., Fox, TV-14).
› Jessica loses her temper on “Fresh Off the Boat” (9 p.m., ABC, TV-PG).
› When dinosaurs walked the Earth on “DC’s Legends of Tomorrow” (9 p.m., CW, TV-PG).
› Kenny has advice about faculty choice on “The Real O’Neals” (9:30 p.m., ABC, TV-14).
› A JAG lawyer vanishes on “NCIS: New Orleans” (10 p.m., CBS, TV-14).