Russians have long been a staple for American films, TV

Evolution from Boris & Natasha to ‘ Americans’

The Russians are here! Actually, the Russians have always been here!

Russians have long been near the top of the list of foreign characters in American TV and film, thanks to the longstanding rivalry between the nations.

Many were of the stock variety: villains and foils that seemed to come out of central casting. Some are cartoonish ( Ivan Drago, Rocky IV) and some are cartoons ( Boris and Natasha, regularly outwitted by a squirrel).

But lately, nuanced characterizations have become more common, as films and TV shows try to avoid stereotypes. FX’s The Americans, returning for its fifth season Tuesday ( 10 ET/ PT), depicts the Americanization of its undercover Soviet spy couple and seeks authenticity by casting real Russians, such as Costa Ronin and Lev Gorn, as operatives often seen speaking the mother tongue.

“The Americans is a huge step forward in term of depicting ( Russians) as three- dimensional characters who love their families and their country,” says David Bushman, curator of the Paley Center for Media. “Are they that different from Americans? It’s just a different set of loyalties.”

Bushman says Russians have always been reliable bad guys. They even came back into vogue as villains in the 2000s when shows such as 24 were taking heat for their negative depictions of Arabs. “I don’t think anyone’s going to say, ‘ How can you do that to the Russians?’ It’s not like they’re a popular minority in this country. ( But) It’s interesting how we’ve evolved from the Cold War to this place where they sort of took a back seat to Mexican drug dealers and Arab terrorists” as the go- to villains. “Now I think we’re entering a new stage in terms of what’s going on with ( presidents) Putin and Trump. We should all keep our eyes on where it goes from here. What you might see now is a throwback to Russians being seen as villains, but maybe more as cyberterrorists,” rather than more conventional spies.

A dossier of familiar Russian archetypes in TV and film:

LEV GORN OF ‘ THE AMERICANS’ BY ERIC LIEBOWITZ, FX

ERIC LIEBOWITZ, FX PARAMOUNT PICTURES The Americans works to cast real Russians, such as Costa Ronin. Sean Connery, left, plays a Soviet submarine commander who defects with his vessel in The Hunt for Red October.