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Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys star in 'The Americans' as a couple with secrets.
FX Network
The Americans
(FX Now, Amazon, iTunes, Google Play, YouTube, Vudu)
No period piece on TV feels as contemporary as this sharply written, superbly performed FX drama that had thriller fans enthralled for six seasons. The series is about a seemingly ordinary 1980s couple (Matthew Rhys, 43, and Keri Russell, 42) whose believable (if arranged) marriage is troubled by their need to don disguises and murder Americans as spies on behalf of Mother Russia, and do so without tipping off the FBI agent across the street or alienating their totally American daughter. It's way more emotionally realistic than you'd expect, the tunes are killer (remember Yaz?), and it's a time trip to Reagan's America. If you felt like an outsider these past few years as your friends discussed the latest episodes, it's time to get with the program. With the final season now available (along with the previous five) on multiple streaming services you can watch from start to finish. Find out why its loyal advocates loved every nuance of this show. If you binge, know that each season is 13 episodes, until the last, which is 10.
NYPD Blue
(Amazon)
Follow The Americans' 1980s right into 1993, when this police procedural transformed television, making it appointment TV for 12 seasons to come. With smart dialogue, rich story arcs and antiheroes like foul-mouth cop Andy Sipowicz played by Dennis Franz, NYPD Blue was the watercooler hit in an era when we talked, not tweeted, about what we watched. The stories and characters may be set in a different decade, but all 12 seasons feel relevant today — although the first season stands out because sensitive, tough detective David Caruso was the talented lead. Caruso eventually recovered from his foolish decision to leave Blue (he took on CSI: Miami) and Jimmy Smits, who had incredible chemistry with his partner Kim Delaney, kept things interesting. Because this was an ABC show, there are 22 episodes to a season. If you are going to binge, start with the first and see how it goes.
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