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Being a TV writer who’d formerly trained as a CIA operative, Joe Weisberg was the obvious choice to bring this tale of Soviet spies in suburbia to our screens.

Joe Weisberg was working on sci-fi show Falling Skies in Los Angeles in October 2010 when he heard that the FBI had arrested a group of Russian intelligence service spies posing as Americans. The next thing he knew his phone was ringing.

“The two heads of DreamWorks television called me,” said Weisberg, who is in the rare position of being a TV executive that has also trained as a CIA operative. “They knew I’d been in the CIA and that I’d produced and written a previous TV pilot with them, based on the CIA station in Bulgaria. When those illegals were arrested, they asked me if I’d be interested in basing a show on it. That was the genesis of this story.”

The show is The Americans, a nail-biting depiction of 1981 cold-war Washington that’s the most talked-about drama on US television this year. The story centres on a seemingly upstanding couple (Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys) who live in the suburbs of Washington DC, with their two beautiful children. The only complication? These Americans are actually Soviets. Continue reading The Americans could fill a Homeland-shaped void in your TV viewing

Sorry, “Homeland”! With the addition of “House of Cards,” “The Americans,” “Bates Motel” and many others, this may be the most competitive awards year ever.

Emmy voters don’t have it easy. This year, the pool of contenders comprise the most variety ever — upward of 100 series across as many categories — among cable and broadcast. Sure, the stalwarts are still in the game — AMC’s Breaking Bad, HBO’s Game of Thrones, Showtime’s Homeland, ABC’s Modern Family, CBS’ The Big Bang Theory, to name a few — but will they yield to these 10 newcomers? And can they break through the glut of competition?

The Americans (FX)
➺ With Justified past its Emmy-novelty prime and Sons of Anarchy snubbed since, well, its 2008 debut, FX is hanging all its Emmy drama hopes on former CIA agent Joe Weisberg’s 1980s-set Russian spy thriller. The series had one of the most impressive debuts of the year as well as consistent grit from its excellent cast that includes Matthew Rhys, Keri Russell and 2011 Emmy winner Margo Martindale.

Source: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/