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jaeCongratulations to The Americans for finally breaking through into the Emmy big leagues! Five total nominations, including Drama, Actor (Matthew Rhys), Actress (Keri Russell), and Writing-Drama (Joe Weisberg/Joel Fields).
jae
Links to TCA articles
Jan. 18th, 2016 09:26 amjaeThe Television Critics' Association event that allows showrunners and creatives to showcase a show to journalists has been going on this week, and Saturday it was The Americans' turn. Here are some of the pieces that got written after their showcase (many of which overlap in terms of information, but they're not all identical, at least). There are spoilers here, but they are all of the very general sort, so unless you'd rather go into the new season knowing absolutely nothing at all about what's in store, you're probably okay to click.
There are pieces from:
Variety
Entertainment Weekly
Deadline
tvline.com
The Wrap
IGN
Broadcasting Cable
...and Showbiz Junkies has an interview with Matthew Rhys (Philip).
There are pieces from:
Variety
Entertainment Weekly
Deadline
tvline.com
The Wrap
IGN
Broadcasting Cable
...and Showbiz Junkies has an interview with Matthew Rhys (Philip).
Some early S4 promotion work
Jan. 8th, 2016 10:47 amtheplatonicnonyeah Variety posted an interview with Keri and Matthew talking in general about the show and hinting at some of the themes for S4.
And Joel Fields posted a photo to his Twitter account, implying that Matthew Rhys will be directing episode 8! I can't remember right now, but is Noah also directing this season again?
Anyway, I hope this was ok to post and that the format is fine. First time for me! :-)
And Joel Fields posted a photo to his Twitter account, implying that Matthew Rhys will be directing episode 8! I can't remember right now, but is Noah also directing this season again?
Anyway, I hope this was ok to post and that the format is fine. First time for me! :-)
Some summer links
Aug. 18th, 2015 11:08 amjaeI dropped the ball on link-posting for most of the summer, but not on link-collecting. So that means a whole load of incoming links!
Arguably most importantly for the continuing presence of the show on North American screens, The Americans won this year's Outstanding Achievement in Drama award in the annual Television Critics Association awards. (The award was even presented by two critics who dressed up as "Clark" and "Jennifer" from the show!)
And not to leave out the Brits, the most important piece of news for the presence of the show on their screens: a deal has been made with ITV Encore to bring the show back to the UK after it was cancelled between seasons two and three.
The show didn't end up getting nominated for any significant Emmys, but there was a bunch of buzz around the possibility over the summer, and some of it is still worth reading and listening to in retrospect (mostly because it's not just about the potential for awards). Here are some links in that vein:
Indiewire interviewed co-showrunners Joel Weisberg and Joe Fields, and Goldderby interviewed Matthew Rhys (Philip) in advance of the Emmy nominations.
If you've got a bit of time to kill, here's critic Todd van der Werff (from Vox) making a case prior to the nominations for why the show actually did have a chance at some Emmy attention this year (audio, starting at around 29:00 and coming back to it around 38:00).
Of course, lots and lots of publications had stuff to say about the Emmy snub. I won't try to link to all of the mentions, but here are three pieces that focused specifically on The Americans: Decider, the New York Post, and Goldderby.
Entertainment magazine Vulture had its own alternate awards in its own categories this year, and The Americans won for best scene, best child actor, most improved show, and best drama.
There have also been a number of pieces about (or partly about) the show this summer that don't focus on awards:
Paul Sonne from the Wall Street Journal: "An ex-Russian spy on the accuracy of The Americans"
Alyssa Rosenberg from the Washington Post: "The economics that explain why more people aren't watching the best show on TV"
Emma Fraser from Flavorwire: "Talking TV underwear: ‘Masters of Sex,’ ‘The Americans,’ and ‘You’re the Worst’ costume designers on working from the inside out"
Kelly Schremph from Bustle: "How many The Americans seasons will there be? This Russian spy thriller could go on indefinitely
Philip Gould from the Providence Journal: "What's American about The Americans?"
Andrea Morabito from the New York Post: "Long live TV's female anti-heroes"
The show also made TIME TV critic Joe Poniewozik's list of the best shows of 2015 so far.
And finally, a new German spy show debuted this summer called "Deutschland 83" that has a lot of the same superficial premises. The co-creators and the star of that show talk about what they know about The Americans.
Arguably most importantly for the continuing presence of the show on North American screens, The Americans won this year's Outstanding Achievement in Drama award in the annual Television Critics Association awards. (The award was even presented by two critics who dressed up as "Clark" and "Jennifer" from the show!)
And not to leave out the Brits, the most important piece of news for the presence of the show on their screens: a deal has been made with ITV Encore to bring the show back to the UK after it was cancelled between seasons two and three.
The show didn't end up getting nominated for any significant Emmys, but there was a bunch of buzz around the possibility over the summer, and some of it is still worth reading and listening to in retrospect (mostly because it's not just about the potential for awards). Here are some links in that vein:
Indiewire interviewed co-showrunners Joel Weisberg and Joe Fields, and Goldderby interviewed Matthew Rhys (Philip) in advance of the Emmy nominations.
If you've got a bit of time to kill, here's critic Todd van der Werff (from Vox) making a case prior to the nominations for why the show actually did have a chance at some Emmy attention this year (audio, starting at around 29:00 and coming back to it around 38:00).
Of course, lots and lots of publications had stuff to say about the Emmy snub. I won't try to link to all of the mentions, but here are three pieces that focused specifically on The Americans: Decider, the New York Post, and Goldderby.
Entertainment magazine Vulture had its own alternate awards in its own categories this year, and The Americans won for best scene, best child actor, most improved show, and best drama.
There have also been a number of pieces about (or partly about) the show this summer that don't focus on awards:
Paul Sonne from the Wall Street Journal: "An ex-Russian spy on the accuracy of The Americans"
Alyssa Rosenberg from the Washington Post: "The economics that explain why more people aren't watching the best show on TV"
Emma Fraser from Flavorwire: "Talking TV underwear: ‘Masters of Sex,’ ‘The Americans,’ and ‘You’re the Worst’ costume designers on working from the inside out"
Kelly Schremph from Bustle: "How many The Americans seasons will there be? This Russian spy thriller could go on indefinitely
Philip Gould from the Providence Journal: "What's American about The Americans?"
Andrea Morabito from the New York Post: "Long live TV's female anti-heroes"
The show also made TIME TV critic Joe Poniewozik's list of the best shows of 2015 so far.
And finally, a new German spy show debuted this summer called "Deutschland 83" that has a lot of the same superficial premises. The co-creators and the star of that show talk about what they know about The Americans.
Pre-finale links
Apr. 22nd, 2015 10:51 amjaeAn interview with Matthew Rhys, two different ones with Holly Taylor (Paige), another with Annet Mahendru (Nina), another with Margo Martindale (Claudia), and one with Tracey Scott Wilson, a member of the show's writers' room.
And some pre-finale pieces on the show: one on the disguises, and one on the show in general.
The Americans has won one of this year's Peabody Awards! (What's a Peabody Award? This.)
Zack Handlen of the AV Club writes a review of the entire third season (complete with letter grade).
Sonia Saraiya from Salon has an analysis of why The Americans will never be "must-see TV".
And finally, season three is now airing in Australia! Here's a piece on the premiere.
And some pre-finale pieces on the show: one on the disguises, and one on the show in general.
The Americans has won one of this year's Peabody Awards! (What's a Peabody Award? This.)
Zack Handlen of the AV Club writes a review of the entire third season (complete with letter grade).
Sonia Saraiya from Salon has an analysis of why The Americans will never be "must-see TV".
And finally, season three is now airing in Australia! Here's a piece on the premiere.
This week's links
Mar. 22nd, 2015 07:33 pmjaeFirst off, there are some unofficial indications that the show will be renewed for a fourth season. Commence cautious excitement! *g*
The Hollywood Reporter has an interview with Alison Wright (Martha) about her character's latest arc.
Yahoo has an interview with Matthew Rhys that's mostly about his appearance on another show (Archer), but gets into The Americans at the end.
This week gave us some really interesting critics' pieces about the show. First and foremost, there's this great one from Emily Nussbaum of the New Yorker.
...and next, this one from Alyssa Rosenberg of the Washington Post, which gets into the most upsetting scene from this past week's episode.
...and then there's the AV Club's piece arguing that it's the show's slow burn that's its best feature.
...and the Globe and Mail (Canadian national paper) calls it the creepiest show on TV.
...and Entertainment Weekly gives us an eclectic analysis of religion on the show.
...and Vulture talks about the show's use of Russian.
In less thinky coverage, there's this piece on what shooting the show in New York is like (spoilers for the rest of season three).
And the blogger at Cindiology tells us why she turns to The Americans instead of Fifty Shades of Grey for "mommy porn".
And finally, Grantland's critic Andy Greenwald invites actress Natalie Morales to come on to his semi-regular podcast for a discussion of the show (she's not on the show, but she's a superfan).
The Hollywood Reporter has an interview with Alison Wright (Martha) about her character's latest arc.
Yahoo has an interview with Matthew Rhys that's mostly about his appearance on another show (Archer), but gets into The Americans at the end.
This week gave us some really interesting critics' pieces about the show. First and foremost, there's this great one from Emily Nussbaum of the New Yorker.
...and next, this one from Alyssa Rosenberg of the Washington Post, which gets into the most upsetting scene from this past week's episode.
...and then there's the AV Club's piece arguing that it's the show's slow burn that's its best feature.
...and the Globe and Mail (Canadian national paper) calls it the creepiest show on TV.
...and Entertainment Weekly gives us an eclectic analysis of religion on the show.
...and Vulture talks about the show's use of Russian.
In less thinky coverage, there's this piece on what shooting the show in New York is like (spoilers for the rest of season three).
And the blogger at Cindiology tells us why she turns to The Americans instead of Fifty Shades of Grey for "mommy porn".
And finally, Grantland's critic Andy Greenwald invites actress Natalie Morales to come on to his semi-regular podcast for a discussion of the show (she's not on the show, but she's a superfan).
Pre-episode 5 links
Feb. 24th, 2015 08:27 amjaeInterviews! First with showrunners Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields.
Then there's one with Keri Russell, two with Matthew Rhys (Spoiler TV and Hollywood Reporter), one with Holly Taylor (Paige), one with Annet Mahendru (Nina), and one with Alison Wright (Martha).
Here's the casting spoiler many of you have been waiting for...
A piece dealing with how TV made Christianity radical again talks about recent storylines on The Americans.
Aaaand some more bad news about ratings.
Then there's one with Keri Russell, two with Matthew Rhys (Spoiler TV and Hollywood Reporter), one with Holly Taylor (Paige), one with Annet Mahendru (Nina), and one with Alison Wright (Martha).
Here's the casting spoiler many of you have been waiting for...
A piece dealing with how TV made Christianity radical again talks about recent storylines on The Americans.
Aaaand some more bad news about ratings.
Some recent links
Feb. 12th, 2015 02:20 pmjaeI meant to post this Tuesday or at least yesterday, but things have been nuts, and it didn't happen. Better late than never?
Two interviews with Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields: from Entertainment Weekly and from IGN. The pair also have an exclusive video commentary on that "intimate and excruciating" scene from this week.
Two interviews with Keri Russell: from Hitfix and from the LA Times.
Two interviews with Matthew Rhys: from Starpulse and from Collider.
One interview with Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys from Paste Magazine.
Two interviews with Alison Wright (Martha): from Instyle and from HNGN
One interview with director Tommy Schlamme about the "intimate and excruciating" scene from this week.
The New Yorker has a piece on the "Afghanistan baggage" from this season.
The Philadelphia Inquirer has a piece on spy shows that turn old plots on their heads, of which The Americans is one.
Headline Planet has some bad news about recent episodes' ratings.
Two interviews with Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields: from Entertainment Weekly and from IGN. The pair also have an exclusive video commentary on that "intimate and excruciating" scene from this week.
Two interviews with Keri Russell: from Hitfix and from the LA Times.
Two interviews with Matthew Rhys: from Starpulse and from Collider.
One interview with Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys from Paste Magazine.
Two interviews with Alison Wright (Martha): from Instyle and from HNGN
One interview with director Tommy Schlamme about the "intimate and excruciating" scene from this week.
The New Yorker has a piece on the "Afghanistan baggage" from this season.
The Philadelphia Inquirer has a piece on spy shows that turn old plots on their heads, of which The Americans is one.
Headline Planet has some bad news about recent episodes' ratings.
This week's links
Feb. 4th, 2015 06:50 amjaeSome links to whet your appetite for tonight's episode (though as last year, the episode-specific links are have been added to the episode post instead of being posted here):
Writing staff member/script coordinator Molly Nussbaum will be doing a new podcast on the show at Slate! Here's the first episode, which consists of a great interview with the showrunners.
An interview with Matthew Rhys for Backstage, and a few more for Hitfix, Variety, Digital Journal, Spinoff, and FashionNStyle.
An interview with Keri Russell with Starpulse.
The "Watching The Americans" podcast have an interview with Kelly AuCoin (Pastor Tim).
Director Tommy Schlamme talks about his work on The Americans, as well as two of his other projects: West Wing and Manhattan.
Slate has an interview with the The Americans set designers that goes into depth on the particulars (with lots of pictures!).
Rahul Khanna (Yousaf) did an interview with the Times of India in which he decried the censorship of his nude scenes in the premiere in his home country.
SpoilerTV will be doing an interview with Annet Mahendru (Nina) and are looking for suggestions on questions.
A writer from the Daily Beast had been putting off trying the show, finally forced himself to watch, and loved it.
A piece in US News and World Report talks about all the ways the show is more an exaggeration of real spying than a representation of it.
A piece in the Huffington Post talks about being a background actor (extra) on the show.
A piece in the New York Post about male nudity on television talks about The Americans, among other shows.
A few spoiler pieces for tonight's episode: from Movie News Guide, and to TV Equals.
Vogue has a list of reasons why you should watch season three, while the Huffington Post has a piece with eight reasons (among many) to love The Americans.
A fluffy little video promo for the show with Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys from TV Guide Magazine.
Writing staff member/script coordinator Molly Nussbaum will be doing a new podcast on the show at Slate! Here's the first episode, which consists of a great interview with the showrunners.
An interview with Matthew Rhys for Backstage, and a few more for Hitfix, Variety, Digital Journal, Spinoff, and FashionNStyle.
An interview with Keri Russell with Starpulse.
The "Watching The Americans" podcast have an interview with Kelly AuCoin (Pastor Tim).
Director Tommy Schlamme talks about his work on The Americans, as well as two of his other projects: West Wing and Manhattan.
Slate has an interview with the The Americans set designers that goes into depth on the particulars (with lots of pictures!).
Rahul Khanna (Yousaf) did an interview with the Times of India in which he decried the censorship of his nude scenes in the premiere in his home country.
SpoilerTV will be doing an interview with Annet Mahendru (Nina) and are looking for suggestions on questions.
A writer from the Daily Beast had been putting off trying the show, finally forced himself to watch, and loved it.
A piece in US News and World Report talks about all the ways the show is more an exaggeration of real spying than a representation of it.
A piece in the Huffington Post talks about being a background actor (extra) on the show.
A piece in the New York Post about male nudity on television talks about The Americans, among other shows.
A few spoiler pieces for tonight's episode: from Movie News Guide, and to TV Equals.
Vogue has a list of reasons why you should watch season three, while the Huffington Post has a piece with eight reasons (among many) to love The Americans.
A fluffy little video promo for the show with Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys from TV Guide Magazine.
Day-of-premiere links
Jan. 28th, 2015 11:05 amjaeI wasn't planning on doing another one of these before the premiere, but there's been just so much good stuff last night and today!
First up, more season three reviews! From Grantland's Andy Greenwald (if you read only one of these, make it this one), from Vox's Todd VanDerWerff (if you read only two of these, make it the previous one and this one), from Vulture's Matt Zoller Seitz, from TIME's James Poniewozik, from Slate's Willa Paskin, from Salon's Sonia Saraiya, from the Washington Post's Hank Stuever, from the New Republic's Esther Breger, a double dose from Yahoo from Kimberly Potts and Ken Tucker, as well as from the AV Club, the Boston Globe, Entertainment Weekly, and TV Guide.
Next up, interviews!
Three interviews with showrunners Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields: from Starpulse, from Worldscreen, and last but not least, from TIME Magazine (specifically dealing with their reaction to this week's real-life Russian spy bust in New York).
FourThree Two interviews with Matthew Rhys: from IndieWire, from seat42f.com, from the Wall Street Journal, and from Monsters and Critics.
ThreeTwo interviews with Keri Russell: from the Hollywood Reporter, from The Today Show (video, ~4 min.), and from USA Today.
Two interviews with Holly Taylor (Paige): from Hitfix and from the North Jersey Record.
One interview with Annet Mahendru (Nina): from Rediff India Abroad
Finally, the Den of Geek site argues that The Americans is the best show you're not watching, Yahoo has some photos of the cast's wig transformations, and the cast and creatives attempt to recap the show to date in thirty seconds.
First up, more season three reviews! From Grantland's Andy Greenwald (if you read only one of these, make it this one), from Vox's Todd VanDerWerff (if you read only two of these, make it the previous one and this one), from Vulture's Matt Zoller Seitz, from TIME's James Poniewozik, from Slate's Willa Paskin, from Salon's Sonia Saraiya, from the Washington Post's Hank Stuever, from the New Republic's Esther Breger, a double dose from Yahoo from Kimberly Potts and Ken Tucker, as well as from the AV Club, the Boston Globe, Entertainment Weekly, and TV Guide.
Next up, interviews!
Three interviews with showrunners Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields: from Starpulse, from Worldscreen, and last but not least, from TIME Magazine (specifically dealing with their reaction to this week's real-life Russian spy bust in New York).
Four
Three
Two interviews with Holly Taylor (Paige): from Hitfix and from the North Jersey Record.
One interview with Annet Mahendru (Nina): from Rediff India Abroad
Finally, the Den of Geek site argues that The Americans is the best show you're not watching, Yahoo has some photos of the cast's wig transformations, and the cast and creatives attempt to recap the show to date in thirty seconds.
This week's links
Jan. 25th, 2015 07:56 amjaeCanada's National Post has an interview with showrunner Joe Weisberg, and Joe was also featured in this Washington Post piece about former spies now writing for television.
Two interviews with Keri Russell about season three (spoilers abound): Showbizjunkies and NuketheFridge. Showbizjunkies also did a similar interview with Matthew Rhys.
Rahul Khanna (Yousaf Rana) gave a kind of fluffy interview to Savvy Magazine in which he talked about his turn on The Americans.
A few extra spoilers in advance of Wednesday's season three debut: one about Philip and one about Martha. There are also two pieces (from Fox News and from the Wall Street Journal) with spoilers for a particular Elizabeth scene from the first episode of the season.
Some reviews of season three are starting to come in: from Columbus Alive, from Forbes, and from the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
A blog post that argues that The Americans is so good because it refuses to make viewers comfortable.
And finally, a fun little piece from a reporter who went on a tour of the set and reports on which books and music are in the bedrooms of the various Jenningses.
Two interviews with Keri Russell about season three (spoilers abound): Showbizjunkies and NuketheFridge. Showbizjunkies also did a similar interview with Matthew Rhys.
Rahul Khanna (Yousaf Rana) gave a kind of fluffy interview to Savvy Magazine in which he talked about his turn on The Americans.
A few extra spoilers in advance of Wednesday's season three debut: one about Philip and one about Martha. There are also two pieces (from Fox News and from the Wall Street Journal) with spoilers for a particular Elizabeth scene from the first episode of the season.
Some reviews of season three are starting to come in: from Columbus Alive, from Forbes, and from the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
A blog post that argues that The Americans is so good because it refuses to make viewers comfortable.
And finally, a fun little piece from a reporter who went on a tour of the set and reports on which books and music are in the bedrooms of the various Jenningses.
Some more links
Dec. 10th, 2014 08:04 amjaeThe Americans has made more critics' end-of-year best-of lists: Sam Woolf of We Got This Covered (at #1), Hitfix's Alan Sepinwall (at #2), Artforum's J. Hoberman (on the list of "top ten films (!)" at #4), Matt Zoller Seitz of Vulture (at #6), The Hitfix TV critics' poll (at #6), Dan Fienberg of Hitfix (at #7), Cinemablend's Jessica Rawden (at #7), Joanne Ostrow from The Denver Post (at #9), Matt Fowler of IGN (at #18), Maureen Ryan from the Huffington Post (unnumbered), and the American Film Institute (unnumbered). Metacritic has also crunched the numbers and found that overall, our show has done better than any other show when it comes to ranked "best-of" lists.
TV Ate My Wardrobe is honouring The Americans for being the best in television costuming.
And finally, both Matthew Rhys (Philip) and Keri Russell (Elizabeth) have been named as long-shot potential nominees for a Golden Globe this year.
TV Ate My Wardrobe is honouring The Americans for being the best in television costuming.
And finally, both Matthew Rhys (Philip) and Keri Russell (Elizabeth) have been named as long-shot potential nominees for a Golden Globe this year.
jaeThe critics' year-end top ten lists have begun, and The Americans has (so far) made two of them: Hank Stuever from the Washington Post (at #1) and TIME's James Poniewozik (at #2).
Various spoilers are also starting to slowly be leaked: something about Nina, and something about the timing of the beginning of season 3 and about Paige. There's also a slight casting spoiler about a minor character who's coming back for season three, in the form of a photo of a name on a trailer.
For those who are avoiding spoilers completely, here's speculation about what is likely to come that takes a casting spoiler, but no spoiler-spoilers, into account.
The show is currently running two charity auctions: a set visit much like the onesistermagpie and I got to go on (highly recommended!) and lunch with Matthew Rhys.
treonb also pointed out that I missed this post-ComicCon interview with showrunners Joe Weisberg & Joel Fields at the time it was recorded back in October.
Various spoilers are also starting to slowly be leaked: something about Nina, and something about the timing of the beginning of season 3 and about Paige. There's also a slight casting spoiler about a minor character who's coming back for season three, in the form of a photo of a name on a trailer.
For those who are avoiding spoilers completely, here's speculation about what is likely to come that takes a casting spoiler, but no spoiler-spoilers, into account.
The show is currently running two charity auctions: a set visit much like the one
sistermagpie and I got to go on (highly recommended!) and lunch with Matthew Rhys.treonb also pointed out that I missed this post-ComicCon interview with showrunners Joe Weisberg & Joel Fields at the time it was recorded back in October.A day with the Americans
Nov. 7th, 2014 10:56 amjaeYesterday, sistermagpie and I got the chance to spend about five hours as guests of the The Americans team that is currently filming season three. It was every bit as amazing as that makes it sound and then some! The guys who took over scheduling my visit (it was complicated to plan since I had to come in from so far and book my flight well in advance) were friendly and responsive from the get-go, and once we arrived at the studio, all of the cast, crew, and creatives we met went above and beyond anything we had imagined.
When we arrived, we were given a set of sheets with information about the day's filming. The top sheet included information about who was in charge (in terms of executive producers, the producer, and the director), a weather forecast, an address of a nearby hospital (just in case!), as well as a list of cast members and stand-ins and the times they had to be on set for which purposes (for hair and makeup or on set ready to perform). It also included special instructions for the various scenes (such as props that needed to be present), and a little bit at the bottom about the advance schedule for the following day's shooting (which scenes they were going to do, etc.). The pages that followed were excerpts from the script for the day's scenes.
First we watched a bit of filming, then we were taken on a long and very thorough tour of the various sets and production offices by a couple of very generous crew members, and finally we came back to watch more filming. We met and briefly spoke to creator Joe Weisberg and Daniel Sackheim, Stuart Zicherman and Molly Nussbaum from the writing staff, as well as Matthew Rhys (Philip), Keidrich Sellati (Henry), Noah Emmerich (Stan), and Annet Mahendru (Nina). We also saw Holly Taylor (Paige), Keri Russell (Elizabeth), and the director for episodes 303 and 304 (we'll let the team reveal who that is as they see fit) up close but didn't talk to them.
What follows are our (completely spoiler-free!) thoughts about what we saw. We've tried to put together a description of the kinds of things that we as pretty hardcore The Americans fans would want to hear about if one of you had been lucky enough to get to do what we did.
( cut for length )
We are so excited about season three now, we can't even express it. (!!!!!)
sistermagpie and I got the chance to spend about five hours as guests of the The Americans team that is currently filming season three. It was every bit as amazing as that makes it sound and then some! The guys who took over scheduling my visit (it was complicated to plan since I had to come in from so far and book my flight well in advance) were friendly and responsive from the get-go, and once we arrived at the studio, all of the cast, crew, and creatives we met went above and beyond anything we had imagined. When we arrived, we were given a set of sheets with information about the day's filming. The top sheet included information about who was in charge (in terms of executive producers, the producer, and the director), a weather forecast, an address of a nearby hospital (just in case!), as well as a list of cast members and stand-ins and the times they had to be on set for which purposes (for hair and makeup or on set ready to perform). It also included special instructions for the various scenes (such as props that needed to be present), and a little bit at the bottom about the advance schedule for the following day's shooting (which scenes they were going to do, etc.). The pages that followed were excerpts from the script for the day's scenes.
First we watched a bit of filming, then we were taken on a long and very thorough tour of the various sets and production offices by a couple of very generous crew members, and finally we came back to watch more filming. We met and briefly spoke to creator Joe Weisberg and Daniel Sackheim, Stuart Zicherman and Molly Nussbaum from the writing staff, as well as Matthew Rhys (Philip), Keidrich Sellati (Henry), Noah Emmerich (Stan), and Annet Mahendru (Nina). We also saw Holly Taylor (Paige), Keri Russell (Elizabeth), and the director for episodes 303 and 304 (we'll let the team reveal who that is as they see fit) up close but didn't talk to them.
What follows are our (completely spoiler-free!) thoughts about what we saw. We've tried to put together a description of the kinds of things that we as pretty hardcore The Americans fans would want to hear about if one of you had been lucky enough to get to do what we did.
( cut for length )
We are so excited about season three now, we can't even express it. (!!!!!)
Some recent links
Oct. 13th, 2014 07:48 amjaeMore on the New York Comic-Con panel: a little writeup from Hitfix, from Vulture, from Bleeding Cool, from Film Book, and from IBITimes.
Here are some picture sets from the same panel, on Facebook and on Flickr.
And here are some videos from the panel or interviews surrounding the panel (some of these are not viewable by people outside of the U.S.): interview with Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys, panel excerpt from Keri Russell discussing her character's relationship with Paige, panel excerpt on Stan, panel excerpt on Nina, panel excerpt on pranks, panel excerpt on alter egos.
In non Comic-Con news, this Dutch-language piece has a casting spoiler for season three. I'll provide a translation ( under the cut )
Our ownquantumreality has another short post on symmetries in The Americans.
And finally, just look at this picture of Paige & Henry from the start of season three! All grown up.
Here are some picture sets from the same panel, on Facebook and on Flickr.
And here are some videos from the panel or interviews surrounding the panel (some of these are not viewable by people outside of the U.S.): interview with Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys, panel excerpt from Keri Russell discussing her character's relationship with Paige, panel excerpt on Stan, panel excerpt on Nina, panel excerpt on pranks, panel excerpt on alter egos.
In non Comic-Con news, this Dutch-language piece has a casting spoiler for season three. I'll provide a translation ( under the cut )
Our own
quantumreality has another short post on symmetries in The Americans.And finally, just look at this picture of Paige & Henry from the start of season three! All grown up.
"The Americans" at NYCC 2014!
Oct. 12th, 2014 02:55 pmlisa_lncI attended The Americans panel event at NYCC and wanted to share some insights/thoughts/observations with you! This is my first post, so I'm kind of nervous, but hope you enjoy . . .
NYCC crowd. I sat in the third row. The panel discussion had a good turn out, which was surprising to me, because I don’t consider The Americans a Comic Con-type-of-show. Maybe a “quasi-Comic Con” show?? I eavesdropped on the conversations around me. Nobody sitting around me had seen Season 2. A few people had never seen the show, but were huge Felicity fans.
First 8-10 minutes—a montage of clips from “Echo.” The people around me chuckled a little when Philip and Elizabeth woke up Paige & Henry. I wonder if those who had never seen the show understood what was happening.
Commie Con T-shirts. As I am sure you all noticed, the entire gang was wearing the same shirt. The shirt was Matthew Rhys’ idea. Because he grew up in South Wales, which had “Communist influence,” he thought there was a convention called “Commie Con” in Wales and confused it with “Comic Con.” I received a free The Americans bag, but I would have preferred the t-shirt—just sayin’.
Andy Greenwald was a superb moderator—no surprise there. He knew when to keep quiet and when he did ask questions, they were insightful, eloquent, intelligent, and humorous—just like his essays!
Panel Discussion. General disclaimer: not too many spoilers were revealed. Did any of you seriously expect any hardcore spoilers? Nonetheless, here’s a list of discussions I noted:
• First question was for the writers and their experience writing the show, given that they have two seasons under their belt. Joe Weisberg said the first season was the most exhausting.
• Andy Greenwald made a funny comment/observation about Philip’s love for cowboy attire. He noted that during season one, Philip donned the boots and a pervert took a beating and during the second season, he donned the hat and a busboy got killed. He then asked Matthew Rhys what would happen if Philip actually did end up in Texas. Matthew Rhys said he’d bring a lasso with him.
• Andy Greenwald asked whether Stan was going to have a better time next season. There was conversation about the Phil-Stan racquetball scenes—the writers had fun with that set. Writers seemed to hint at some Phil/Stan scenes next season.
• There will be focus on Afghanistan next season and Joe Weisberg is REALLY excited about that. Don't ask Joel Fields why Joe Weisberg is really excited :-P
• Andy Greenwald asked about the multiple levels of acting (the actors have to act like Philip and Elizabeth, who in turn, have to act like other personas in disguise). Matthew Rhys said that Philip doesn’t have to be a great actor; he just has to convince the person sitting in front of him.
• Season 3 will focus on parenting—nothing new there. Nina will live (yes, there are STILL people asking this question).
• Noah Emmerich joked about how he still confuses Joel with Joe.
• Andy Greenwald asked whether the writers come up with material/stories based on the disguises. The writers agreed that "Clark" is the one disguise they write to the most.
• Season 2 disguises will return in Season 3 and will be fleshed out (YAY!)
Audience questions. A majority of questions were ones you’ve read in every interview (e.g., what’s your favorite disguise), but here are some questions that elicited funny and/or interesting responses:
• A person asked about experience in researching old school technology. Joe Weisberg remarked that unfortunately, he didn’t have to research the technology because he actually remembered using the technology. The entire panel began to laugh. Then, he clarified that technically only he, Joel Fields, and Noah Emmerich are old enough to remember. Noah Emmerich then quipped, “Remembered what? Wearing shoes?”
• Both Andy Greenwald and an audience member asked about the on and off -screen dynamics between the actors. Specifically, an audience member noted that both Noah Emmerich/Annet Mahendru and Matthew Rhys/Keri Russell film a majority of their scenes together. Thus, how do the respective acting pairs “cool” off after filming, because they spend long hours together tackling dark subject matter.
A little side story. I attended NYCC immediately after I left a meeting, so I was dressed in a conservative attorney’s outfit. When I entered the Javits Center, I immediately thought about how out-of-place I looked. Coincidentally, for some reason, the audience for The Americans panel was also inappropriately dressed for NYCC. Matthew Rhys noted the attire in the audience and joked, “I want to congratulate this particular audience for showing the spirit of Comic Con. Given that you’re supposed to dress up in costumes, I appreciate this audience’s very subtle costume choices—clearly, I see you’re fans of the show because you’ve dressed like The Americans.” [Paraphrase] As much as I loved the Commie Con shirts, I would’ve paid a million bucks to see all of the actors dress up in disguise for the panel discussion.
Personal Musings/Vents/Rants
• I am so incredibly happy Matthew Rhys attended NYCC. Matthew Rhys was not originally scheduled to attend NYCC; only Joe Weisberg, Joel Fields, Keri Russell, Noah Emmerich, and Annet Mahendru were originally scheduled to attend. Matthew Rhys was clearly the highlight of the panel and was hilarious! I want to start a Twitter petition to get Matthew Rhys to host SNL to promote The Americans Season 3 opening. Anyone want to join???
• I’m also SO happy that nobody discussed the “69” scene from Season 2. Seriously, people—get over it! Sorry, but I thought that was the most over-hyped scene of Season 2. I guess I’m in the minority . . .
• I missed Alison Wright and Susan Misner at the panel. I would’ve loved to see Holly Taylor and Keidrich Sellati, too! (Neat side story: I take acting lessons on the side and I just found out my coach is in the same theatre group w/ Alison Wright--how cool is that?!?! I'll get to meet and see her the next time she performs!)
• Dear person sitting next to me—Please do not bring gross smelling food with you. That’s rude. I felt like puking for the first 5 minutes of the panel discussion.
• I sat in the third row, so I had REALLY good seats. However, if you want first & second-row seats, you have to come to the room when the doors open. The people in the front two rows were not fans of The Americans; they came to the room at 10 AM to claim seats because they were waiting for a comic book panel discussion in the room.
Miscellaneous Tidbits
• I think I heard Andy Greenwald say something about Joe Weisberg guest starring? Sorry, I didn’t hear the complete context, because I was trying to prevent myself from puking :< UPDATE: I just found out on Twitter that Joe Weisberg will be guest starring on The Good Wife tonight. So take that--The Walking Dead season premiere.
• Season 3 will start in January—only 3 months away!!!
• Season 2 DVDs come out on December 16th!
***Pictures to be posted soon***
NYCC crowd. I sat in the third row. The panel discussion had a good turn out, which was surprising to me, because I don’t consider The Americans a Comic Con-type-of-show. Maybe a “quasi-Comic Con” show?? I eavesdropped on the conversations around me. Nobody sitting around me had seen Season 2. A few people had never seen the show, but were huge Felicity fans.
- How I’d summarize the general audience consensus about Season 1: “took some time to get into it, but then the s&*^ got real.”
First 8-10 minutes—a montage of clips from “Echo.” The people around me chuckled a little when Philip and Elizabeth woke up Paige & Henry. I wonder if those who had never seen the show understood what was happening.
- My Personal Side Note. NYCC marked the first time I viewed The Americans on the big screen and what a delightful experience it was!!! I never realized how well the show translates on a big movie screen. I have viewed “Echo” about a million times on both my television and my mini iPad, yet on the movie screen, I enjoyed the episode 200% more than I already did. I’m kind of shocked at how much I enjoyed seeing the show on a movie screen. I’ve never enjoyed watching movies for MANY reasons, but I will discuss the two most prominent reasons. First, I don’t find movie theatres to be an intimate setting. Physical space matters to me—when I watch something, I need to feel the comforts of my home. I did not subjectively enjoy the first The X-Files movie, because I was so accustomed to watching the show from my bed. Second, I have a difficult time investing in characters within a two-hour time span. Ironically, I was hooked on The Americans Pilot within the first hour because I though it displayed the visual feel of a movie and I emotionally connected with the characters rather quickly. **Btw, for The Americans' final season (yes, I know—a depressing thought), I hope we get a 2-hour season premiere/finale with the budget the show had for the Pilot. **
- I admit that I don’t think I would have enjoyed viewing “Echo” on the big screen if it was my first time seeing the episode. I’m still on the fence if I would ever want to see a movie adaptation of The Americans. Of course, this point is moot, because sadly the show is not profitable enough on the small screen to justify a movie. Nonetheless, an intriguing thought.
Commie Con T-shirts. As I am sure you all noticed, the entire gang was wearing the same shirt. The shirt was Matthew Rhys’ idea. Because he grew up in South Wales, which had “Communist influence,” he thought there was a convention called “Commie Con” in Wales and confused it with “Comic Con.” I received a free The Americans bag, but I would have preferred the t-shirt—just sayin’.
Andy Greenwald was a superb moderator—no surprise there. He knew when to keep quiet and when he did ask questions, they were insightful, eloquent, intelligent, and humorous—just like his essays!
Panel Discussion. General disclaimer: not too many spoilers were revealed. Did any of you seriously expect any hardcore spoilers? Nonetheless, here’s a list of discussions I noted:
• First question was for the writers and their experience writing the show, given that they have two seasons under their belt. Joe Weisberg said the first season was the most exhausting.
• Andy Greenwald made a funny comment/observation about Philip’s love for cowboy attire. He noted that during season one, Philip donned the boots and a pervert took a beating and during the second season, he donned the hat and a busboy got killed. He then asked Matthew Rhys what would happen if Philip actually did end up in Texas. Matthew Rhys said he’d bring a lasso with him.
• Andy Greenwald asked whether Stan was going to have a better time next season. There was conversation about the Phil-Stan racquetball scenes—the writers had fun with that set. Writers seemed to hint at some Phil/Stan scenes next season.
• There will be focus on Afghanistan next season and Joe Weisberg is REALLY excited about that. Don't ask Joel Fields why Joe Weisberg is really excited :-P
• Andy Greenwald asked about the multiple levels of acting (the actors have to act like Philip and Elizabeth, who in turn, have to act like other personas in disguise). Matthew Rhys said that Philip doesn’t have to be a great actor; he just has to convince the person sitting in front of him.
• Season 3 will focus on parenting—nothing new there. Nina will live (yes, there are STILL people asking this question).
• Noah Emmerich joked about how he still confuses Joel with Joe.
• Andy Greenwald asked whether the writers come up with material/stories based on the disguises. The writers agreed that "Clark" is the one disguise they write to the most.
• Season 2 disguises will return in Season 3 and will be fleshed out (YAY!)
Audience questions. A majority of questions were ones you’ve read in every interview (e.g., what’s your favorite disguise), but here are some questions that elicited funny and/or interesting responses:
• A person asked about experience in researching old school technology. Joe Weisberg remarked that unfortunately, he didn’t have to research the technology because he actually remembered using the technology. The entire panel began to laugh. Then, he clarified that technically only he, Joel Fields, and Noah Emmerich are old enough to remember. Noah Emmerich then quipped, “Remembered what? Wearing shoes?”
• Both Andy Greenwald and an audience member asked about the on and off -screen dynamics between the actors. Specifically, an audience member noted that both Noah Emmerich/Annet Mahendru and Matthew Rhys/Keri Russell film a majority of their scenes together. Thus, how do the respective acting pairs “cool” off after filming, because they spend long hours together tackling dark subject matter.
o Annet Mahendru joked that Noah Emmerich tells “knock-knock” jokes
o Noah Emmerich said that he and Annet Mahendru have a good time after filming, but noted that he’s weary of bonding TOO much with any of his co-stars off-screen, because he’s afraid of how their off-screen relationship might affect the dynamics of a particular scene (e.g., sometimes a scene calls for an argument; other times, a scene calls for amorous eye gazes). Matthew Rhys took keen interest in Noah Emmerich’s remarks and nodded in agreement with him. **I really liked Noah Emmerich’s answer. I admire that he’s the consummate professional and his answer shows just how much he cares about the characters and the overall integrity of the show. As I noted before, Matthew Rhys definitely respected and agreed with Noah Emmerich’s answer—good to know they have the same ideals for the show : D **
o Matthew Rhys apologized for mentioning the “slapping” story again and joked that his relationship with Keri Russell had not changed off- screen since filming the Pilot because she still slaps him. :P
o Noah Emmerich said that he and Annet Mahendru have a good time after filming, but noted that he’s weary of bonding TOO much with any of his co-stars off-screen, because he’s afraid of how their off-screen relationship might affect the dynamics of a particular scene (e.g., sometimes a scene calls for an argument; other times, a scene calls for amorous eye gazes). Matthew Rhys took keen interest in Noah Emmerich’s remarks and nodded in agreement with him. **I really liked Noah Emmerich’s answer. I admire that he’s the consummate professional and his answer shows just how much he cares about the characters and the overall integrity of the show. As I noted before, Matthew Rhys definitely respected and agreed with Noah Emmerich’s answer—good to know they have the same ideals for the show : D **
o Matthew Rhys apologized for mentioning the “slapping” story again and joked that his relationship with Keri Russell had not changed off- screen since filming the Pilot because she still slaps him. :P
• A woman in the audience asked whether Nina is pregnant, because the writers said that next season’s focus is on parenting. The entire panel and audience laughed. Matthew Rhys joked that the writers are now scribbling down notes. Then, the woman waited at the microphone and said, “Well, you didn’t answer my question.” There was an awkward silence and of course, the writers and actors were mum. I read an article, in which the author surmised that Nina is pregnant, because the writers’ silence implied that she was pregnant. **My personal take—I don’t think the writers’ silence is an implication that Nina is pregnant. Well, at least, I will give the writers a benefit of the doubt that they will not be resorting to such a cliché, soap opera-ish rouse **
A little side story. I attended NYCC immediately after I left a meeting, so I was dressed in a conservative attorney’s outfit. When I entered the Javits Center, I immediately thought about how out-of-place I looked. Coincidentally, for some reason, the audience for The Americans panel was also inappropriately dressed for NYCC. Matthew Rhys noted the attire in the audience and joked, “I want to congratulate this particular audience for showing the spirit of Comic Con. Given that you’re supposed to dress up in costumes, I appreciate this audience’s very subtle costume choices—clearly, I see you’re fans of the show because you’ve dressed like The Americans.” [Paraphrase] As much as I loved the Commie Con shirts, I would’ve paid a million bucks to see all of the actors dress up in disguise for the panel discussion.
Personal Musings/Vents/Rants
• I am so incredibly happy Matthew Rhys attended NYCC. Matthew Rhys was not originally scheduled to attend NYCC; only Joe Weisberg, Joel Fields, Keri Russell, Noah Emmerich, and Annet Mahendru were originally scheduled to attend. Matthew Rhys was clearly the highlight of the panel and was hilarious! I want to start a Twitter petition to get Matthew Rhys to host SNL to promote The Americans Season 3 opening. Anyone want to join???
• I’m also SO happy that nobody discussed the “69” scene from Season 2. Seriously, people—get over it! Sorry, but I thought that was the most over-hyped scene of Season 2. I guess I’m in the minority . . .
• I missed Alison Wright and Susan Misner at the panel. I would’ve loved to see Holly Taylor and Keidrich Sellati, too! (Neat side story: I take acting lessons on the side and I just found out my coach is in the same theatre group w/ Alison Wright--how cool is that?!?! I'll get to meet and see her the next time she performs!)
• Dear person sitting next to me—Please do not bring gross smelling food with you. That’s rude. I felt like puking for the first 5 minutes of the panel discussion.
• I sat in the third row, so I had REALLY good seats. However, if you want first & second-row seats, you have to come to the room when the doors open. The people in the front two rows were not fans of The Americans; they came to the room at 10 AM to claim seats because they were waiting for a comic book panel discussion in the room.
Miscellaneous Tidbits
• I think I heard Andy Greenwald say something about Joe Weisberg guest starring? Sorry, I didn’t hear the complete context, because I was trying to prevent myself from puking :< UPDATE: I just found out on Twitter that Joe Weisberg will be guest starring on The Good Wife tonight. So take that--The Walking Dead season premiere.
• Season 3 will start in January—only 3 months away!!!
• Season 2 DVDs come out on December 16th!
***Pictures to be posted soon***
This week's links
Jun. 24th, 2014 12:06 pmjaeA little later than usual, so you get an extra-large dose!
Deadline and Hollywood Reporter both have interviews with Matthew Rhys (Philip). Deadline also has an interview with Keri Russell (Elizabeth).
Goldderby continues its series of Skype interviews with an interview with the show's composer, Nathan Barr. TVgoodness.com also reports on an evening with Barr and fellow television composer Jeff Russo.
Indiawest features a short interview with Annet Mahendru (Nina).
The two-punch hit of the The Americans season opener and the season finale made Indiewire's list of the most shocking TV moments of 2014 so far. Three of the show's episodes also made the list of Goldderby's top thirty drama episodes of the Emmy season.
The Critics' Choice Awards have been and gone. The show may not have won any of the things it was nominated for, but Matthew Rhys (Philip) was a presenter. The Hollywood Reporter also talks about what the show's nominations for those awards could mean for potential Emmy nominations.
Speaking of the Emmys, Alan Sepinwall from Hitfix has been putting out "if I had an Emmy ballot" columns, and representatives of the show have made his lists for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Hitfix's Daniel Fienberg also picked the show itself for Outstanding Drama Series.
TV Guide is also choosing folks from The Americans for Emmy nominations for Supporting Actress in a Drama and Lead Actor in a Drama.
TV.com also has the show represented in its picks for the Supporting Actress in a Drama category, and Brian Tallerico from RogerEbert.com has it represented in the Lead Actress in a Drama and Supporting Actress in a Drama categories, as well as Outstanding Dramatic Series.
Finally, Vulture is also putting out its own TV "awards," and the show has representatives in those with Philip and Elizabeth as Television's best couple and Matthew Rhys as Best Drama Performer.
Deadline and Hollywood Reporter both have interviews with Matthew Rhys (Philip). Deadline also has an interview with Keri Russell (Elizabeth).
Goldderby continues its series of Skype interviews with an interview with the show's composer, Nathan Barr. TVgoodness.com also reports on an evening with Barr and fellow television composer Jeff Russo.
Indiawest features a short interview with Annet Mahendru (Nina).
The two-punch hit of the The Americans season opener and the season finale made Indiewire's list of the most shocking TV moments of 2014 so far. Three of the show's episodes also made the list of Goldderby's top thirty drama episodes of the Emmy season.
The Critics' Choice Awards have been and gone. The show may not have won any of the things it was nominated for, but Matthew Rhys (Philip) was a presenter. The Hollywood Reporter also talks about what the show's nominations for those awards could mean for potential Emmy nominations.
Speaking of the Emmys, Alan Sepinwall from Hitfix has been putting out "if I had an Emmy ballot" columns, and representatives of the show have made his lists for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Hitfix's Daniel Fienberg also picked the show itself for Outstanding Drama Series.
TV Guide is also choosing folks from The Americans for Emmy nominations for Supporting Actress in a Drama and Lead Actor in a Drama.
TV.com also has the show represented in its picks for the Supporting Actress in a Drama category, and Brian Tallerico from RogerEbert.com has it represented in the Lead Actress in a Drama and Supporting Actress in a Drama categories, as well as Outstanding Dramatic Series.
Finally, Vulture is also putting out its own TV "awards," and the show has representatives in those with Philip and Elizabeth as Television's best couple and Matthew Rhys as Best Drama Performer.
This week's links
Jun. 13th, 2014 07:03 amjaeFirst off, for anyone who hasn't seen it yet, here's the Television Academy panel with moderator Alan Sepinwall from HitFix, co-showrunners Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields, Keri Russell (Elizabeth), Matthew Rhys (Philip), Noah Emmerich (Stan), and show composer Nathan Barr (video, ~1 hour).
Second, GoldDerby has continued with its series of Skype interviews with individual actors from the show. This week, they did Matthew Rhys (video, ~21 min), Noah Emmerich (Stan) (video, ~20 min), and Annet Mahendru (Nina) (video, ~17 min).
TVLine also did a print interview with Matthew Rhys and another with Annet Mahendru this week.
Slate has a lengthy answer from Noah Emmerich to a Quora question.
And showratings.tv has an interview with Costa Ronin (Oleg).
TVLine has included Matthew Rhys in their series of dream Emmy nominations, and Alan Sepinwall from HitFix has included the show in his "If I had an Emmy ballot" column.
Variety took portraits of a number of potential Emmy contenders, including Matthew Rhys and Noah Emmerich.
And finally, some handicapping from GoldDerby (which is in the business of predicting Emmy nominees): they're offering the odds of 33/1 for the show's nomination for Drama Series, 33/1 for Keri Russell's nomination for Drama Actress, 100/1 for Matthew Rhys' nomination for Drama Actor, 100/1 for Annet Mahendru's nomination for Drama Supporting Actress, 100/1 for Noah Emmerich's nomination for Drama Supporting Actor, and 16/1 for Margo Martindale's nomination for Drama Guest Actress.
Second, GoldDerby has continued with its series of Skype interviews with individual actors from the show. This week, they did Matthew Rhys (video, ~21 min), Noah Emmerich (Stan) (video, ~20 min), and Annet Mahendru (Nina) (video, ~17 min).
TVLine also did a print interview with Matthew Rhys and another with Annet Mahendru this week.
Slate has a lengthy answer from Noah Emmerich to a Quora question.
And showratings.tv has an interview with Costa Ronin (Oleg).
TVLine has included Matthew Rhys in their series of dream Emmy nominations, and Alan Sepinwall from HitFix has included the show in his "If I had an Emmy ballot" column.
Variety took portraits of a number of potential Emmy contenders, including Matthew Rhys and Noah Emmerich.
And finally, some handicapping from GoldDerby (which is in the business of predicting Emmy nominees): they're offering the odds of 33/1 for the show's nomination for Drama Series, 33/1 for Keri Russell's nomination for Drama Actress, 100/1 for Matthew Rhys' nomination for Drama Actor, 100/1 for Annet Mahendru's nomination for Drama Supporting Actress, 100/1 for Noah Emmerich's nomination for Drama Supporting Actor, and 16/1 for Margo Martindale's nomination for Drama Guest Actress.
This week's links
Jun. 5th, 2014 07:21 amjaeAt some point the news about The Americans will undoubtedly slow to a trickle, but right now there's still a lot out there because of the pre-Emmy interview season. Here's what I've been able to find this week:
• Writer and co-showrunner Joel Fields appeared in the LA Times' showrunners' panel (4th video in the series, ~1 hour).
• Matthew Rhys (Philip) also did a similar roundtable with potential drama actor nominees over at Variety (video, ~24 minutes).
• Noah Emmerich (Stan) also did a terrific long interview with the LA Times (video, ~30 minutes).
• Keri Russell (Elizabeth) also gave a great Skype interview to Gold Derby (video, ~25 minutes). TV Ate My Wardrobe has some highlights of that interview here.
• Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys also did an interview together with the LA Times.
• Variety paired two actors for an interview who are rumoured to be in contention for awards, Matthew Rhys and Julianna Margulies from The Good Wife.
• Deadline has some excerpts from an interview with Joel Fields and Matthew Rhys.
And there's been plenty of non-interview reporting on the show this week too:
• Variety also has a piece on why Brits are "taking over American TV" that features Matthew Rhys.
• Time has listed The Americans as the top of a list of the ten best shows of 2014 so far.
• The Washington Post included The Americans in a piece about technology in television shows.
• The AV Club also featured the show in a piece about the role of God in a few of today's television shows.
• TV Guide has a few season three spoilers in their MegaBuzz column.
• WhatCulture talked about five "burning questions" for season three.
• GoldDerby talks about the show's chances at the Emmys this year.
• BitchFlicks has a piece on sex, love, and coercion in The Americans.
• Another fan has done a music fanmix for the show over at 8tracks called "Practicing Brinksmanship".
• Writer and co-showrunner Joel Fields appeared in the LA Times' showrunners' panel (4th video in the series, ~1 hour).
• Matthew Rhys (Philip) also did a similar roundtable with potential drama actor nominees over at Variety (video, ~24 minutes).
• Noah Emmerich (Stan) also did a terrific long interview with the LA Times (video, ~30 minutes).
• Keri Russell (Elizabeth) also gave a great Skype interview to Gold Derby (video, ~25 minutes). TV Ate My Wardrobe has some highlights of that interview here.
• Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys also did an interview together with the LA Times.
• Variety paired two actors for an interview who are rumoured to be in contention for awards, Matthew Rhys and Julianna Margulies from The Good Wife.
• Deadline has some excerpts from an interview with Joel Fields and Matthew Rhys.
And there's been plenty of non-interview reporting on the show this week too:
• Variety also has a piece on why Brits are "taking over American TV" that features Matthew Rhys.
• Time has listed The Americans as the top of a list of the ten best shows of 2014 so far.
• The Washington Post included The Americans in a piece about technology in television shows.
• The AV Club also featured the show in a piece about the role of God in a few of today's television shows.
• TV Guide has a few season three spoilers in their MegaBuzz column.
• WhatCulture talked about five "burning questions" for season three.
• GoldDerby talks about the show's chances at the Emmys this year.
• BitchFlicks has a piece on sex, love, and coercion in The Americans.
• Another fan has done a music fanmix for the show over at 8tracks called "Practicing Brinksmanship".
Week thirteen (sob!) linkspam
May. 23rd, 2014 09:15 amjaeFirst, a veritable cornucopia of post-season interviews with showrunners Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields: from Hitfix, from the AV Club, from Vulture, from TV Line, from Yahoo, from TV Guide, from tv.com, from Slate (audio, ~30 minutes, available only to subscribers, though a partial transcript is available here), and from Grantland (audio, ~57 minutes). [Editorial comment: take some time to read/listen to these if you can--they're all so different and so good!]
Next up, some reviews of season two: from Vulture, from the AV Club, from Screen Invasion, from Bustle, and from Talking TV With Ryan and Ryan (audio, ~48 minutes).
From Hitfix, an interview with Matthew Rhys (Philip).
From the New York Post, an interview with Noah Emmerich (Stan).
Keri Russell (Elizabeth) took part in a joint interview of many of the potential Emmy nominees for Best Actress with the Hollywood Reporter. This link has both a transcript of parts of the interview and video of a riff on the "what would you do if you weren't an actor" question" (~ 4:40). [Edited to add: the full video interview is now up (~1 hour).]
Two interviews with Annet Mahendru (Nina): one from Yahoo and one from U.S. News.
An interview with Costa Ronin (Oleg) from OK Magazine.
From The Wire, an interview with Margo Martindale (Claudia).
Two interviews with the composer for the show, Nathan Barr: from the Hollywood Reporter, and an excerpt from a piece from Film Score Monthly Online.
From Vanity Fair, a piece on the realism behind many of the show's spy storylines, and The Atlantic has a column on the show's refreshingly real take on Russians. And from Think Progress, a piece that challenges the realism in the season finale's plot twist.
From The Wire, the last season two "wig of the week", on the finale. And further in the disguises vein, TV Ate My Wardrobe has a piece on the best disguises of season two.
A column in Entertainment Weekly debates whether or not Elizabeth is a bad mom.
The Hollywood Reporter has The Americans at #2 in last week's "power rankings".
Paste Magazine has a piece on the 10 most shocking moments on the show.
"Behind The Red Door" has been pre-nominated in the AV Club's Tournament of Episodes.
From Indiewire, a summary of the pre-finale (but post-screener) tweets from some of the critics.
FX released a little mini-feature on The Art of the Edit (only viewable from within the U.S.).
According to Headline Planet, the ratings were up slightly for the season finale.
The LA Times has a piece on the recent trend in spy-related television series, including comments from The Americans co-showrunner Joel Fields.
An astrology blogger has written an mythological/astrological interpretation of the finale.
And finally, a glimpse into a writers' room joke: the supposed original pitch for the Stealth arc. :)
Next up, some reviews of season two: from Vulture, from the AV Club, from Screen Invasion, from Bustle, and from Talking TV With Ryan and Ryan (audio, ~48 minutes).
From Hitfix, an interview with Matthew Rhys (Philip).
From the New York Post, an interview with Noah Emmerich (Stan).
Keri Russell (Elizabeth) took part in a joint interview of many of the potential Emmy nominees for Best Actress with the Hollywood Reporter. This link has both a transcript of parts of the interview and video of a riff on the "what would you do if you weren't an actor" question" (~ 4:40). [Edited to add: the full video interview is now up (~1 hour).]
Two interviews with Annet Mahendru (Nina): one from Yahoo and one from U.S. News.
An interview with Costa Ronin (Oleg) from OK Magazine.
From The Wire, an interview with Margo Martindale (Claudia).
Two interviews with the composer for the show, Nathan Barr: from the Hollywood Reporter, and an excerpt from a piece from Film Score Monthly Online.
From Vanity Fair, a piece on the realism behind many of the show's spy storylines, and The Atlantic has a column on the show's refreshingly real take on Russians. And from Think Progress, a piece that challenges the realism in the season finale's plot twist.
From The Wire, the last season two "wig of the week", on the finale. And further in the disguises vein, TV Ate My Wardrobe has a piece on the best disguises of season two.
A column in Entertainment Weekly debates whether or not Elizabeth is a bad mom.
The Hollywood Reporter has The Americans at #2 in last week's "power rankings".
Paste Magazine has a piece on the 10 most shocking moments on the show.
"Behind The Red Door" has been pre-nominated in the AV Club's Tournament of Episodes.
From Indiewire, a summary of the pre-finale (but post-screener) tweets from some of the critics.
FX released a little mini-feature on The Art of the Edit (only viewable from within the U.S.).
According to Headline Planet, the ratings were up slightly for the season finale.
The LA Times has a piece on the recent trend in spy-related television series, including comments from The Americans co-showrunner Joel Fields.
An astrology blogger has written an mythological/astrological interpretation of the finale.
And finally, a glimpse into a writers' room joke: the supposed original pitch for the Stealth arc. :)
