The BEST Episodes of The Americans (2013)
Every episode ever - ranked by fan votes!
Last Updated: Mar 2, 2020
Network: FX
Two KGB spies are posing as Americans in suburban Washington D.C. shortly after Ronald Reagan is elected President. The arranged marriage of Philip and Elizabeth Jennings, who have two children—13-year-old Paige and 10-year-old Henry, who know nothing about their parents' true identity—grows more passionate and genuine by the day, but is constantly tested by the escalation of the Cold War and the intimate, dangerous and darkly funny relationships they must maintain with a network of spies and informants under their control.
#1 - START
Season 6 - Episode 10 - Aired May 30, 2018
In the series finale, the Jennings face a choice that will change their lives forever.
8.66 
#2 - Jennings, Elizabeth
Season 6 - Episode 9 - Aired May 23, 2018
Elizabeth wrestles with competing loyalties, and Philip has an encounter that turns into much more than he had bargained for.
8.32 
#3 - The Colonel
Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired May 1, 2013
When Philip and Elizabeth are ordered to go through with a meeting that could potentially be a set-up, they find themselves confronted with unexpected truths about their relationship. Stan's investigation puts him and the FBI even closer to Philip and Elizabeth.
8.20 
#4 - Echo
Season 2 - Episode 13 - Aired May 21, 2014
No one is safe as Philip and Elizabeth evacuate their children while trying to complete the mission. Stan holds Nina's future in his hands.
8.06 
#5 - The Summit
Season 6 - Episode 8 - Aired May 16, 2018
With the arms control summit underway, a shocking revelation from Philip throws Elizabeth - and her work - into turmoil. Stan follows a dangerous hunch.
8.01 
#6 - The Great Patriotic War
Season 6 - Episode 5 - Aired Apr 25, 2018
As the summit fast approaches, Elizabeth enlists Philip’s help for a mission that could yield game-changing intel.
7.95 
#7 - March 8, 1983
Season 3 - Episode 13 - Aired Apr 22, 2015
Elizabeth and Paige take a trip that lands them in treacherous territory. After an emotionally charged mission, Philip turns to an unlikely source for solace. Stan’s plan to save Nina culminates in unforeseen ways.
7.94 
#8 - The Oath
Season 1 - Episode 12 - Aired Apr 24, 2013
One of Elizabeth's agents has key intel for sale, but she and Philip find themselves taking increasingly greater risks for what could well be a set-up. Meanwhile, Stan's pursuit of Directorate S suddenly begins to yield unexpected results.
7.93 
#9 - Harvest
Season 6 - Episode 7 - Aired May 9, 2018
Philip and Elizabeth come together for a perilous operation unlike any they've ever had before. Stan and Henry spend a little quality time together.
7.92 
#10 - Dinner for Seven
Season 4 - Episode 11 - Aired May 25, 2016
Elizabeth completes the last steps of a very personal operation… but at what cost?
7.91 
#11 - Stingers
Season 3 - Episode 10 - Aired Apr 1, 2015
Philip and Elizabeth deploy a plan for the C.I.A.’s Mujahideen visitors. Tensions at the Jennings’ home escalate.
7.90 
#12 - Dyatkovo
Season 5 - Episode 11 - Aired May 16, 2017
A surprise assignment from the Centre divides Philip and Elizabeth, forcing them into a moment of profound crisis. Stan gives Henry a tour of the FBI.
7.88 
#13 - A Little Night Music
Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired Mar 19, 2014
Just when Philip and Elizabeth think they have a quiet road ahead, an old friend returns to complicate things. Not only do they have to intercept a target who could prove valuable to the Soviet Union, but they also have to take on an important rogue mission without the support of the Centre. Divisions inside the Rezidentura deepen between Oleg and Arkady and there’s an upheaval at the FBI as the chickens come home to roost for Agent Gaad. Meanwhile, Martha’s frustrations threaten to blow Philip’s cover.
7.88 
#14 - The Rat
Season 4 - Episode 6 - Aired Apr 20, 2016
Martha must finally face the truth she has denied – and her life may never be the same. Plus, a chilling new development in William’s work forces the Jennings to face the realities of what a biological war would mean.
7.85 
#15 - Dead Hand
Season 6 - Episode 1 - Aired Mar 28, 2018
It’s autumn, 1987, and as a major arms control summit looms, Elizabeth is pushed to her limits as never before. Philip, meanwhile, has settled into running the newly expanded travel agency – until an unexpected visitor makes a disquieting request.
7.85 
#16 - Pilot
Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired Jan 30, 2013
The Americans is a period drama about the complex marriage of two KGB spies posing as Americans in suburban Washington D.C. shortly after Ronald Reagan is elected President. The arranged marriage of Philip and Elizabeth Jennings grows more passionate and genuine by the day, but is constantly tested by the escalation of the Cold War. Tensions heighten upon the arrival of a new neighbor, Stan Beeman, an FBI agent.
7.84 
#17 - Only You
Season 1 - Episode 10 - Aired Apr 10, 2013
Stan pursues a lead that puts him on the trail to one of Gregory's crew members, closing the gap between him and Elizabeth, and reigniting some of the deepest conflicts between her and Philip.
7.83 
#18 - Persona Non Grata
Season 4 - Episode 13 - Aired Jun 8, 2016
Philip and Elizabeth are in a high-stakes race against the FBI to recover a hazardous package. Will they get there in time? And will Paige follow her parents into the family business?
7.82 
#19 - Travel Agents
Season 4 - Episode 7 - Aired Apr 27, 2016
The KGB and the FBI both race to track down a vital agent… everything is at stake.
7.82 
#20 - Chloramphenicol
Season 4 - Episode 4 - Aired Apr 6, 2016
A devastating flaw during a mission forces Philip, Elizabeth, William and Gabriel to confront the depths of their patriotism… and their mortality. In Russia, in striving to be a better person, has Nina put her life on the line?
7.82 
#21 - Rififi
Season 6 - Episode 6 - Aired May 2, 2018
A sudden assignment pulls Elizabeth away from her family at a crucial moment. At the FBI, a major development leads Aderholt to approach Stan about an urgent investigation.
7.80 
#22 - Comrades
Season 2 - Episode 1 - Aired Feb 26, 2014
Elizabeth comes back from her injury and straight into what should have been a routine mission – but it goes awry, leaving her and Philip in fear not only for themselves but for their whole network… and family. Paige's suspicions have only grown in her mother's absence. Meanwhile, Stan continues to fall for the Russian agent who has started to play him.
7.80 
#23 - Safe House
Season 1 - Episode 9 - Aired Apr 3, 2013
Philip and Elizabeth are put to the test when a routine mission goes horribly wrong. Stan and the FBI are pushed to their limit when one of their own goes missing.
7.80 
#24 - The Magic of David Copperfield V: The Statue of Liberty Disappears
Season 4 - Episode 8 - Aired May 4, 2016
The Jennings’s approach their breaking points as both Philip and Elizabeth must handle loyal agents. Will they make it through with their patriotism – and sanity – intact?
7.80 
#25 - The Deal
Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired Mar 26, 2014
Philip and Elizabeth are finally assigned a new handler as Philip works to clean up the mess of the last operation and Elizabeth, in disguise as Clark's sister Jennifer, does her best to smooth things over with Martha. As Stan searches for a missing scientist, Oleg and Arkady continue to argue over how best to handle the situation on their side, leaving Nina once again caught between the FBI and KGB.
7.79