Summary

  • The Americans was not canceled unexpectedly, but rather ended on its own after six seasons, which was planned and confirmed in 2016.
  • Despite struggling with viewership, the critical acclaim of The Americans likely saved it from cancellation and allowed the show to wrap up its story in a satisfying manner.
  • The season 6 finale of The Americans, titled "START," was highly praised and considered one of the best TV finales of all time, proving that it was the perfect time for the show to end.

FX's The Americans was critically acclaimed throughout its run, which may leave viewers wondering why it came to an end with the season 6 finale. The story followed Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Phillip Jennings (Matthew Rhys), two Soviet spies posing as an American couple raising two children in the 1980s. The gripping story saw the series accrue 86 award nominations throughout its run, winning 26 of them, including four Primetime Emmys, a Golden Globe, and two Peabody Awards.

Despite critical acclaim, The Americans was not invulnerable. Many TV shows struggle to find their footing in a crowded TV landscape and The Americans struggled when it came to general viewership, becoming known as a great show nobody watched. This would make it easy to assume that The Americans was canceled unexpectedly, perhaps due to poor viewership numbers as is often the case for many network shows. However, The Americans' critical acclaim likely saved it from that fate, making the end all the more puzzling, as shows with a fraction of the praise can chug along for double the time.

The Americans Planned To End With Season 6

Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell in promotional image for The Americans season 6

The Americans wasn't canceled, instead, the show came to a planned conclusion. The end of The Americans was actually confirmed in 2016, two years before the series came to a close. As reported by Entertainment Weekly at the time, FX renewed the series for its final two outings following season 4. This meant that The Americans' showrunners, Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg, were afforded a luxury many don't get: plenty of time to craft the perfect arc to wrap up all six seasons and deliver an ending that would satisfy audiences.

Season 6 Was The Perfect End To The Americans

A scene from The Americans where Philip and Elizabeth are standing outside.

Eric Shrier, president of original programming at FX in 2014, said of the show: "Through its first four seasons, critics have lauded The Americans as one of the best shows on television and, remarkably, a series that keeps getting better every year." Even more remarkable is that the final two seasons of the show received an equal amount of praise, and the season 6 finale, ironically titled "START," was heralded as one of the best TV finales of all time, proving it was the perfect time for the show to end.

The ending of The Americans was an intense and emotional spectacle that delivered the quality the show had come to be known for. The final episode delivered a satisfying, albeit bittersweet, end for the main characters, with Philip and Elizabeth facing the prospect of re-acclimatizing to life in a homeland very different from the one they left and reckoning with leaving behind their children. Fields and Weisberg certainly capitalized on the forewarning they had to bring the show to a close, and it's a testament to the talent involved that The Americans was allowed to end on its own , without fear of cancelation or outstaying its welcome.

Source: Entertainment Weekly