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- “The Americans” won its first major Emmys Monday night, with a win for best lead actor in a drama and best writing for a drama series.
- But it deserved more awards.
- Here are the three awards “The Americans” should have win for its sixth and final season on the air.
At the Emmy awards Monday night, Welsh actor Matthew Rhys won the Emmy for outstanding lead actor in a drama for his work on “The Americans.” Earlier in the night, Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg — the creators and showrunners of the Russian spy drama — won an Emmy for outstanding writing for the incredible series finale, “Start,” which aired in April.
Since 2013, FX’s “The Americans” has quietly been the best show on television in its six seasons on the air. But not a lot of people watched it, despite it’s high praise from critics. The sixth and final season, which aired earlier this year, eloquently marked the end of television’s Golden Age, so it would’ve been fitting if it swept the Emmys.
Both of the Emmys the show won last night were deserved, considering the show has been robbed in major and minor categories for years. Before last night, it had only one two Creative Arts Emmys: two outstanding guest actress in a drama wins for Margo Martindale, who played Russian spy handler Claudia.
But in addition to the Emmys it did win last night, there are still three major awards it should have won by a long shot.
Keri Russell, for Outstanding Lead Actress in a drama
Russell was nominated in her category, but lost to Claire Foy for her work on Netflix’s “The Crown.”
For five years, Russell did some of the best acting in television history on “The Americans” as the cold, dutiful, but sometimes conflicted KGB spy Elizabeth Jennings. She was nominated three times, and absolutely deserved to win every time.
Noah Emmerich, Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama *not nominated*
Unfortunately, Emmerich was not nominated this year, despite his incredible work in all the seasons, especially the sixth. Emmerich was never nominated for an Emmy for this role.
Emmerich never got the credit he deserved for his subtle but often gut-wrenching performance as Stan Beeman, an FBI agent unaware of his best friend’s true identity as a KGB spy. The final season built up to Stan’s realization at a grueling but perfect pace, and Emmerich said so much, often without saying anything at all.
Outstanding Drama Series
“The Americans” lost this award to “Game of Thrones,” which won for its notoriously messy seventh season.
Sadly, since “The Americans” had only been nominated one other time in this category and it was never very popular, that meant that it was not likely to win. But it still deserved the win. No other show has so seamlessly pulled off such an unexpected final season that felt right for the characters and the show’s themes, as well as the overall story. Even though there weren’t dragons flying between Russia and Washington, the sixth season of “The Americans” was better than anything “Game of Thrones” did in season seven.
