Last night FX (US) announced they had commissioned 2 more seasons of The Americans, bringing the series to an end in 2018. The show, which airs on ITV Encore in the UK, will have a 5th season consisting of 13 episodes to air in 2017, and a final 6th season of 10 episodes to air in 2018.
The show, which is about a couple of KBG sleeper agents who are heavily embedded in 80’s America, has been praised by critics, and won numerous awards over it’s first 4 seasons. Showrunners Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg said of the decision “It’s hard to believe we’re heading into the final stretch on The Americans, and we’re so grateful to know we’ll be telling the story to its conclusion. It’s a lot of people putting their hearts and souls into The Americans, at this point for a lot of years. We’re looking forward to the final two.”
Whilst it’s ratings have not been great, the critical acclaim and support from the executives at FX helped secure the additional seasons, allowing the producers to bring the show to a proper conclusion.
“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” said FX’s president of original programming Eric Schrier.
As part of the renewal, Fields and Weisberg have closed a new deal to develop their next show for the network.
Season 4 of The Americans is currently airing on Tuesdays at 10pm on ITV Encore.