The Best Episodes of The Americans
Every episode of The Americans ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of The Americans!
Set during the Cold War period in the 1980s, The Americans is the story of Elizabeth and Philip Jennings, two Soviet KGB officers posing as an American married couple in the suburbs of Washington D.C. and their neighbor, Stan Beeman, an FBI Counterintelligence agent.
Top Episode Ratings Summary
The best episode of "The Americans" is "START best ep oat", rated 9.7/10 from 4861 user votes. It was directed by Chris Long and written by Joe Weisberg, Joel Fields. "START best ep oat" aired on 5/30/2018 and is rated 0.3 point(s) higher than the second highest rated, "Jennings, Elizabeth".
9.7/10 4,861 votes#1 - START best ep oat
Season 6 Episode 10 - Aired 5/30/2018
In the series finale, the Jennings face a choice that will change their lives forever.
Director: Chris Long
Writer: Joe Weisberg, Joel Fields
9.4/10 2,216 votes#2 - Jennings, Elizabeth
Season 6 Episode 9 - Aired 5/23/2018
Elizabeth wrestles with competing loyalties, and Philip has an encounter that turns into much more than he had bargained for.
Director: Chris Long
Writer: Joe Weisberg, Joel Fields
9.2/10 1,929 votes#3 - Harvest
Season 6 Episode 7 - Aired 5/9/2018
Philip and Elizabeth come together for a perilous operation unlike any they've ever had before. Stan and Henry spend a little quality time together.
Director: Stefan Schwartz
Writer: Sarah Nolen
9.0/10 2,655 votes#4 - The Colonel
Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 5/1/2013
When Philip and Elizabeth are ordered to go through with a meeting that could potentially be a set-up, they find themselves confronted with unexpected truths about their relationship. Stan's investigation puts him and the FBI even closer to Philip and Elizabeth.
Director: Adam Arkin
Writer: Joe Weisberg, Joel Fields
9.0/10 1,953 votes#5 - Stingers
Season 3 Episode 10 - Aired 4/1/2015
Philip and Elizabeth deploy a plan for the C.I.A.’s Mujahideen visitors. Tensions at the Jennings’ home escalate.
Director: Larysa Kondracki
Writer: Joe Weisberg, Joel Fields
9.0/10 1,804 votes#6 - The Great Patriotic War
Season 6 Episode 5 - Aired 4/25/2018
As the summit fast approaches, Elizabeth enlists Philip’s help for a mission that could yield game-changing intel.
Director: Thomas Schlamme
Writer: Hilary Bettis
9.0/10 1,698 votes#7 - The Summit
Season 6 Episode 8 - Aired 5/16/2018
With the arms control summit under way, a shocking revelation from Philip throws Elizabeth - and her work - into turmoil. Stan follows a dangerous hunch.
Director: Sylvain White
Writer: Joshua Brand
8.9/10 1,977 votes#8 - Echo
Season 2 Episode 13 - Aired 5/21/2014
No one is safe as Philip and Elizabeth evacuate their children while trying to complete the mission. Stan holds Nina's future in his hands.
Director: Daniel Sackheim
Writer: Joe Weisberg, Joel Fields
8.9/10 1,661 votes#9 - Travel Agents
Season 4 Episode 7 - Aired 4/27/2016
The KGB and the FBI both race to track down a vital agent… everything is at stake.
Director: Daniel Attias
Writer: Tanya Barfield
8.8/10 1,931 votes#10 - Do Mail Robots Dream of Electric Sheep
Season 3 Episode 9 - Aired 3/25/2015
Philip and Elizabeth struggle with the gravity of unexpected collateral damage. Stan and Oleg hatch a risky plan to help save Nina.
Director: Stephen Williams
Writer: Joshua Brand
8.8/10 1,742 votes#11 - Chloramphenicol
Season 4 Episode 4 - Aired 4/6/2016
A devastating flaw during a mission forces Philip, Elizabeth, William and Gabriel to confront the depths of their patriotism… and their mortality. In Russia, in striving to be a better person, has Nina put her life on the line?
Director: Stefan Schwartz
Writer: Tracey Scott Wilson
8.7/10 1,750 votes#12 - March 8, 1983
Season 3 Episode 13 - Aired 4/22/2015
Elizabeth and Paige take a trip that lands them in treacherous territory. After an emotionally charged mission, Philip turns to an unlikely source for solace. Stan’s plan to save Nina culminates in unforeseen ways.
Director: Daniel Sackheim
Writer: Joe Weisberg, Joel Fields
8.7/10 1,667 votes#13 - The Magic of David Copperfield V: The Statue of Liberty Disappears
Season 4 Episode 8 - Aired 5/4/2016
The Jennings’s approach their breaking points as both Philip and Elizabeth must handle loyal agents. Will they make it through with their patriotism – and sanity – intact?
Director: Matthew Rhys
Writer: Stephen Schiff
8.7/10 1,484 votes#14 - Dyatkovo
Season 5 Episode 11 - Aired 5/16/2017
A surprise assignment from the Centre divides Philip and Elizabeth, forcing them into a moment of profound crisis. Stan gives Henry a tour of the FBI.
Director: Steph Green
Writer: Joshua Brand
8.6/10 2,454 votes#15 - Trust Me
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 3/6/2013
A mole hunt within the KGB causes suspicion amongst allies and shatters trust within the Jennings' marriage. Meanwhile, Stan's plan to keep his mole safe puts her at even greater risk of discovery.
Director: Daniel Sackheim
Writer: Sneha Koorse
8.6/10 1,839 votes#16 - Dead Hand
Season 6 Episode 1 - Aired 3/28/2018
It’s autumn, 1987, and as a major arms control summit looms, Elizabeth is pushed to her limits as never before. Philip, meanwhile, has settled into running the newly expanded travel agency – until an unexpected visitor makes a disquieting request.
Director: Chris Long
Writer: Joe Weisberg, Joel Fields
8.6/10 1,601 votes#17 - Rififi
Season 6 Episode 6 - Aired 5/2/2018
A sudden assignment pulls Elizabeth away from her family at a crucial moment. At the FBI, a major development leads Aderholt to approach Stan about an urgent investigation.
Director: Kevin Bray
Writer: Stephen Schiff, Justin Weinberger
8.5/10 1,846 votes#18 - Martial Eagle
Season 2 Episode 9 - Aired 4/23/2014
Philip and Elizabeth’s long-planned mission turns ugly, impacting each of them in different ways. Stan digs in deeper at work as his personal life continues to unravel.
Director: Alik Sakharov
Writer: N/A
8.5/10 1,527 votes#19 - I Am Abassin Zadran
Season 3 Episode 12 - Aired 4/15/2015
Martha hosts an unexpected guest. Philip and Elizabeth must work a formidable Mujahideen commander. Paige acts out.
Director: Christopher Misiano
Writer: Stuart Zicherman, Peter Ackerman
8.5/10 1,508 votes#20 - The Rat
Season 4 Episode 6 - Aired 4/20/2016
Martha must finally face the truth she has denied – and her life may never be the same. Plus, a chilling new development in William’s work forces the Jennings to face the realities of what a biological war would mean.
Director: Kari Skogland
Writer: Joshua Brand
8.5/10 1,444 votes#21 - Dinner for Seven
Season 4 Episode 11 - Aired 5/25/2016
Elizabeth completes the last steps of a very personal operation… but at what cost?
Director: Nicole Kassell
Writer: Joshua Brand
8.4/10 2,207 votes#22 - Safe House
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 4/3/2013
Philip and Elizabeth are put to the test when a routine mission goes horribly wrong. Stan and the FBI are pushed to their limit when one of their own goes missing.
Director: Jim McKay
Writer: Joshua Brand
8.4/10 2,016 votes#23 - Comrades
Season 2 Episode 1 - Aired 2/26/2014
Elizabeth comes back from her injury and straight into what should have been a routine mission – but it goes awry, leaving her and Philip in fear not only for themselves but for their whole network… and family. Paige's suspicions have only grown in her mother's absence. Meanwhile, Stan continues to fall for the Russian agent who has started to play him.
Director: Thomas Schlamme
Writer: Joe Weisberg, Joel Fields
8.4/10 1,571 votes#24 - Walter Taffet
Season 3 Episode 7 - Aired 3/11/2015
Philip and Elizabeth feel the weight of a new family secret while following up on the KGB’s interests in South Africa. Stan faces struggles both at work and at home. Martha confronts a shocking development.
Director: Noah Emmerich
Writer: Lara Shapiro
8.3/10 2,161 votes#25 - Only You
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 4/10/2013
Stan pursues a lead that puts him on the trail to one of Gregory's crew members, closing the gap between him and Elizabeth, and reigniting some of the deepest conflicts between her and Philip.
Director: Adam Arkin
Writer: Bradford Winters