The Americans season 2 explained

Season Number:	2
Bgcolour:	FF623B
Image Upright:	1.15
Network:	FX
Num Episodes:	13
Episode List:	List of The Americans episodes

The second season of the American television drama series The Americans, consisting of 13 episodes, premiered on FX on February 26, 2014, and concluded on May 21, 2014.^[1] The series was renewed for the second season on February 21, 2013.^[1]

Cast

Main

• Keri Russell as Elizabeth Jennings (Nadezhda), a KGB officer
• Matthew Rhys as Philip Jennings (Mischa), a KGB officer
• Annet Mahendru as Nina Sergeevna Krilova, Agent Beeman's Soviet mole
• Susan Misner as Sandra Beeman, Stan's wife
• Alison Wright as Martha Hanson, Agent Gaad's secretary and Philip's informant
• Holly Taylor as Paige Jennings, Elizabeth and Philip's daughter
• Keidrich Sellati as Henry Jennings, Elizabeth and Philip's son
• Noah Emmerich as FBI Agent Stan Beeman

Recurring

• Lev Gorn as Arkady Ivanovich Zotov, the KGB's Rezident
• Costa Ronin as Oleg Igorevich Burov, a new KGB officer
• Richard Thomas as Agent Frank Gaad, Special Agent In Charge of the FBI Counterintelligence Division
• Lee Tergesen as Andrew Larrick, an American naval officer who helps the Russians with a mission, only to seek revenge when it goes wrong
• Owen Campbell as Jared Connors, the son of two KGB illegals
• Wrenn Schmidt as Kate, Philip and Elizabeth's new KGB handler
• Michael Aronov as Anton Baklanov, a scientist involved in stealth technology
• Aimee Carrero as Lucia, a Sandinista freedom fighter
• Kelly AuCoin as Pastor Tim, the head of a church Paige Jennings attends
• Margo Martindale as Claudia, the Jennings' KGB supervisor
• Daniel Flaherty as Matthew Beeman, Stan's son
• Peter Von Berg as Vasili Nikolaevich, a KGB Resident
• Gillian Alexy as Annelise, an informant of Philip's
• Rahul Khanna as Yousaf Rana, an officer in the Pakistani ISI Covert Action Division
• Reg Rogers as Charles Duluth, a journalist and KGB source
• Karen Pittman as Lisa, a Northrop employee from whom Elizabeth is gleaning information
• John Carroll Lynch as Fred, a KGB officer

Production

Susan Misner, Annet Mahendru, and Alison Wright, who play Sandra Beeman, Nina, and Martha Hanson, respectively, are promoted to series regulars in season two, after having recurring roles in the first season.^{[2] [3]} Filming for the second season began on October 9, 2013, according to Keri Russell.^[4]

On April 7, 2014, it was announced that Pete Townshend collaborated with series music composer Nathan Barr on an original song, titled "It Must Be Done", for the April 30 episode "Yousaf".^[5]

Episodes

See also: List of The Americans episodes.

Reception

Reviews

Review aggregator Metacritic has given the season a score of 88 out of 100 (based on 31 critics), signifying "universal acclaim".^[6] On Rotten Tomatoes, another review aggregator site, it holds a 97% rating with an average score of 8.8 out of 10, based on 38 reviews.^[7]

Accolades

For the 30th TCA Awards, The Americans was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Drama and Matthew Rhys was nominated for Individual Achievement in Drama.^[8] For the 4th Critics' Choice Television Awards, the series received four nominations, including for Best Drama Series, Matthew Rhys for Best Actor in a Drama Series, Keri Russell for Best Actress in a Drama Series, and Annet Mahendru for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.^[9] For the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards, Margo Martindale was nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.^[10] For the 19th Satellite Awards, Keri Russell won for Best Actress in a Drama Series.^[11]

Home media releases

The second season was released only on DVD format in region 1 on December 16, 2014,^[12] and in region 2 on January 26, 2015.^[13] Special features include two featurettes—"Operation Ghost Stories: The Real Directorate 'S'" and "Shades of Red: The Mortality of the Americans"; gag reel; and deleted scenes.^[12]

Notes and References

1. Web site: FX orders second season of 'The Americans' . Entertainment Weekly . Lynette . Rice . February 21, 2013 . February 21, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130328034914/http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/02/21/fx-orders-second-season-of-the-americans/ . March 28, 2013 . live .
2. Web site: Americans Ups Susan Misner to Series Regular . Matt Webb . Mitovich . TVLine . March 8, 2013 . March 14, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130315150257/http://tvline.com/2013/03/08/fx-americans-susan-misner-series-regular/ . March 15, 2013 . live .
3. Web site: FX's The Americans Promotes Two for Season 2 . Matt Webb . Mitovich . TVLine . May 7, 2013 . May 7, 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304040957/http://tvline.com/2013/05/07/the-americans-season-2-regulars-alison-wright-annet-mahendru/ . March 4, 2016 . live .
4. Web site: 'The Americans' Invade New York's Paley Center . . October 5, 2013 . October 6, 2013 . Leeds . Sarene . https://web.archive.org/web/20131005214124/http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/the-americans-invade-new-yorks-paley-center-20131005 . October 5, 2013 . live .
5. Web site: Music Legend Pete Townshend Composes Original Song for Acclaimed FX Drama 'The Americans' . TV by the Numbers . Kondolojy, Amanda . April 7, 2014 . April 7, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140408020822/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2014/04/07/music-legend-pete-townshend-composes-original-song-for-acclaimed-fx-drama-the-americans/251806/ . April 8, 2014 . dead .
6. Web site: The Americans : Season 2 . Metacritic . February 24, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140223040514/http://www.metacritic.com/tv/the-americans/season-2 . February 23, 2014 . live .
7. Web site: The Americans: Season 2 (2014) . Rotten Tomatoes . March 21, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141003035054/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/the-americans/s02/ . October 3, 2014 . live .
8. Web site: TCA Awards 2014: Good Wife, OITNB, True Detective, Veep, Breaking Bad, RuPaul Among Winners . Michael . Ausiello . TVLine . July 19, 2014 . July 20, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140721020708/http://tvline.com/2014/07/19/tea-awards-2014-winners-list-the-good-wife-veep-true-detective/ . July 21, 2014 . live .
9. Web site: Big Bang, Fargo, The Good Wife, Masters of Sex, The Normal Heart Lead 2014 Critics Choice Nominations . TVLine . May 28, 2014 . May 28, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140529051842/http://tvline.com/2014/05/28/critics-choice-awards-nominations-television-2014-list/ . May 29, 2014 . live .
10. Web site: 2014 Emmy Awards: ‘Game of Thrones,’ ‘Fargo’ Lead Nominations . Variety . Brian . Lowry . July 10, 2014 . July 10, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140713033753/http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/emmy-nominations-2014-list-emmys-nominees-1201260236 . July 13, 2014 . live .
11. Web site: Satellite Awards: Complete Winners List . The Wrap . Steve . Pond . February 16, 2015 . February 16, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160906184156/http://www.thewrap.com/satellite-awards-complete-winners-list/ . September 6, 2016 . live .
12. Web site: The Americans - Fox Announces DVDs for 'The Complete 2nd Season'. TVShowsOnDVD.com. David. Lambert. October 14, 2014. November 16, 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20141207121852/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/Americans-Season-2/20387. December 7, 2014.
13. Web site: The Americans Season 2 [DVD]]. Amazon.co.uk. November 11, 2014.