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The Worst Episodes of The Americans

Every episode of The Americans ranked from worst to best. Explore the Worst Episodes of The Americans!

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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.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Worst Episode
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    The Americans Season 5 Episode 8 - Immersion
    7.5/10(1551 votes)

    S5:E8

    A secret brings Elizabeth and Paige together. Back in Moscow, Oleg's own secrets put him under KGB suspicion and a new twist in the Morozov operation creates an opportunity that changes everything.

    Director:Kevin Bray
    Writer:Tracey Scott Wilson

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  2. The Americans Season 5 Episode 4 - What's the Matter with Kansas?
    7.6/10(1615 votes)

    S5:E4

    Philip and Elizabeth have qualms about a new assignment, while a specter from Philip’s past creates unforeseen dangers. At the FBI, Stan makes a shocking play that could throw his career into turmoil.

    Director:Gwyneth Horder-Payton
    Writer:Peter Ackerman

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  3. The Americans Season 5 Episode 2 - Pests
    7.7/10(1670 votes)

    S5:E2

    Stan and Oleg wrestle with the harsh consequences of their complicated history as Philip and Elizabeth face a new mission with devastating implications for their country.

    Director:Chris Long
    Writers:Joel Fields, Joe Weisberg

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  4. The Americans Season 5 Episode 6 - Crossbreed
    7.7/10(1606 votes)

    S5:E6

    Gabriel stuns Philip and Elizabeth with a sudden announcement and a crushing revelation about Philip's past. Stan and Aderholt draw a fly into their web while Oleg and Ruslan ambush their first suspect.

    Director:Roxann Dawson
    Writer:Stephen Schiff

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  5. The Americans Season 5 Episode 7 - The Committee on Human Rights
    7.7/10(1586 votes)

    S5:E7

    As Paige becomes even more enmeshed in her parents' world, tensions with Matthew Beeman come to a head, Philip and Elizabeth's honeytraps take surprising turns, and Stan faces the consequences of overplaying his hand at the FBI.

    Director:Matthew Rhys
    Writer:Hilary Bettis

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  6. The Americans Season 1 Episode 5 - COMINT
    7.8/10(2727 votes)

    S1:E5

    A crucial agent crumbles under emotional distress and threatens to topple a valuable network of KGB informants. Professionally, Philip and Elizabeth are tasked with infiltrating the FBI's new communications encryption system while personally they are forced to grapple with one of the darker aspects of life as a spy.

    Director:Holly Dale
    Writer:Melissa James Gibson

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  7. The Americans Season 2 Episode 2 - Cardinal
    7.8/10(2162 votes)

    S2:E2

    As Philip investigates the fallout from the last operation, Elizabeth sticks close to home, concerned for her family until she gets a mysterious distress signal. Meanwhile, a walk-in arrives at the Rezidentura - providing both Nina and Stan with unique opportunities.

    Director:Daniel Sackheim
    Writers:Joel Fields, Joe Weisberg

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  8. The Americans Season 2 Episode 3 - The Walk In
    7.8/10(2131 votes)

    S2:E3

    Philip and Elizabeth complete their next mission - but not without complications - and Philip's fears about Elizabeth's readiness for action deepen. Stan tracks the KGB walk-in which leads to much praise at work and a deepening of his attachment to, and dependence on, Nina. Meanwhile, Paige snoops into her mother's family background and Oleg begins to scrutinize Nina's secret operation.

    Director:Constantine Makris
    Writer:Stuart Zicherman

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  9. The Americans Season 2 Episode 7 - ARPANET
    7.8/10(2006 votes)

    S2:E7

    Philip uses his agent Charles Duluth to help him gain access to an early precursor to the Internet so that the KGB can bug American government communications. Nina faces the threat of a potential FBI polygraph exam, bringing her closer to KGB colleague Oleg.

    Director:Kevin Dowling
    Writer:Joshua Brand

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  10. The Americans Season 3 Episode 2 - Baggage
    7.8/10(1879 votes)

    S3:E2

    Elizabeth and Philip come together to deal with a mission gone wrong but struggle to reconcile their increasingly opposing ideologies. Stan welcomes a Soviet defector, Zinaida, to America. Nina acclimates to her new living arrangements.

    Director:Daniel Sackheim
    Writers:Joel Fields, Joe Weisberg

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  11. The Americans Season 5 Episode 3 - The Midges
    7.8/10(1662 votes)

    S5:E3

    Philip and Elizabeth tell Paige more about the family business, but pressing new questions arise when an operation takes a ghastly and unexpected turn. Meanwhile, a sensitive package jeopardizes Oleg’s life back home.

    Director:Stefan Schwartz
    Writer:Tracey Scott Wilson

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  12. The Americans Season 5 Episode 9 - IHOP
    7.8/10(1561 votes)

    S5:E9

    Philip and Elizabeth are thrown off balance when things with Tuan take an unexpected turn. Henry makes a startling proposition and Stan has a disturbing encounter with Frank Gaad’s widow.

    Director:Dan Attias
    Writer:Peter Ackerman

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  13. The Americans Season 1 Episode 3 - Gregory
    7.9/10(3059 votes)

    S1:E3

    Philip and Elizabeth discover that their murdered colleague Robert had a wife they never knew about. As they try to determine what she knows and where her allegiance lies, Stan's investigation into Robert's death puts him hot on their trail.

    Director:Thomas Schlamme
    Writer:Joel Fields

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  14. The Americans Season 1 Episode 7 - Duty and Honor
    7.9/10(2623 votes)

    S1:E7

    Philip and Elizabeth's troubled marriage is further tested when a mission to discredit a Polish pro-democracy leader reunites Philip with his old flame.

    Director:Alex Chapple
    Writer:Joshua Brand

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  15. The Americans Season 1 Episode 8 - Mutually Assured Destruction
    7.9/10(2548 votes)

    S1:E8

    Philip and Elizabeth must stop an assassin from taking out key US scientists, while Stan and the FBI hunt the same man. Grannie shocks Elizabeth with the truth of what happened between Philip and Irina in New York.

    Director:Bill Johnson
    Writers:Joel Fields, Joe Weisberg

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  16. The Americans Season 1 Episode 11 - Covert War
    7.9/10(2416 votes)

    S1:E11

    Events in Moscow strike a personal chord for Elizabeth, leading her to take on a dangerous mission she can't complete without Philip's help, and placing the couple on a collision course with both Grannie and the FBI.

    Director:Nicole Kassell
    Writers:Melissa James Gibson, Joshua Brand

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  17. The Americans Season 2 Episode 6 - Behind the Red Door
    7.9/10(2061 votes)

    S2:E6

    A dangerous Naval officer becomes the key to Philip and Elizabeth’s mission as well as a potential threat to their family's safety. Lucia, a Sandinista intelligence officer working with the Jennings, is tasked with getting Elizabeth access to Capitol Hill. Stan struggles with the potential costs of protecting Nina.

    Director:Charlotte Sieling
    Writer:Melissa James Gibson

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  18. The Americans Season 2 Episode 10 - Yousaf
    7.9/10(1929 votes)

    S2:E10

    A new mission with international stakes has Philip calling on Annelise for assistance just as an old foe returns to D.C. with a vendetta. Stan makes a discovery that could put the FBI hot on the trail of illegals.

    Director:Stefan Schwartz
    Writers:Stephen Schiff, Stuart Zicherman

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  19. The Americans Season 3 Episode 4 - Dimebag
    7.9/10(1839 votes)

    S3:E4

    Philip faces a moral dilemma while developing an asset. Philip and Elizabeth’s friction escalates. Stan develops a theory with serious repercussions for national security. Paige makes a surprising birthday wish.

    Director:Thomas Schlamme
    Writer:Peter Ackerman

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  20. The Americans Season 3 Episode 6 - Born Again
    7.9/10(1811 votes)

    S3:E6

    Gabriel has surprising information. Elizabeth begins to take family matters into her own hands. Stan receives upsetting news from his past and turns to Sandra for support.

    Director:Kevin Dowling
    Writer:Tracey Scott Wilson

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  21. The Americans Season 3 Episode 11 - One Day in the Life of Anton Baklanov
    7.9/10(1731 votes)

    S3:E11

    Philip and Elizabeth's home and work lives collide in new and dangerous ways. Nina struggles to figure out her next steps. Arkady assigns Oleg and Tatiana to an operation with uncertain potential.

    Director:Andrew Bernstein
    Writers:Stephen Schiff, Tracey Scott Wilson

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  22. The Americans Season 4 Episode 9 - The Day After
    7.9/10(1663 votes)

    S4:E9

    The Day After premieres, making the stakes - and terrible consequences - of the Cold War plain. Even with that in mind, will Elizabeth be able to complete the painful process of the "Patty" operation?

    Director:Daniel Sackheim
    Writer:Tracey Scott Wilson

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  23. The Americans Season 1 Episode 2 - The Clock
    8.0/10(3300 votes)

    S1:E2

    When Philip and Elizabeth are given an urgent task to plant a bug in Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger's office, they risk exposure when an unwilling maid of the Weinberger home refuses to cooperate. Stan closes in on a member of the Soviet Rezidentura in an effort to uncover the identities of deep cover Directorate S operatives.

    Director:Adam Arkin
    Writer:Joe Weisberg

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  24. The Americans Season 2 Episode 4 - A Little Night Music
    8.0/10(2113 votes)

    S2:E4

    Just when Philip and Elizabeth think they have a quiet road ahead, an old friend returns to complicate things. Not only do they have to intercept a target who could prove valuable to the Soviet Union, but they also have to take on an important rogue mission without the support of the Centre. Divisions inside the Rezidentura deepen between Oleg and Arkady and there’s an upheaval at the FBI as the chickens come home to roost for Agent Gaad. Meanwhile, Martha’s frustrations threaten to blow Philip’s cover.

    Director:Lodge Kerrigan
    Writer:Stephen Schiff

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  25. The Americans Season 2 Episode 8 - New Car
    8.0/10(1990 votes)

    S2:E8

    Philip and Elizabeth both find themselves faced with painful turns in their various missions. Stan fights to gain access to an American military program that could give him the upper hand in his battle of wills with Oleg.

    Director:John Dahl
    Writer:Peter Ackerman

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Worst Episodes Summary

"Immersion" is the worst rated episode of "The Americans". It scored 7.5/10 based on 1551 votes. Directed by Kevin Bray and written by Tracey Scott Wilson, it aired on 4/25/2017. This episode scored 0.1 points lower than the second lowest rated, "What's the Matter with Kansas?".