I got hooked on the TV series “The Americans.” The series finale aired on May 30, 2018 after six seasons and I feel like I’ve lost a good friend. It was different from other shows in that the main characters Philip and Elizabeth were married Russian spies living in the US. Since they were groomed for the job from the time they were children, they spoke with no accent. I knew they were the bad guys but the viewers were made to like and sympathize with their situation. The finale was brilliant. No violence which had permeated the series was there. However, a lot of people lost out including Philip and Elizabeth and their children. It was heartbreaking. Yet why was I so vested in a show? It just struck a chord with me and many others. Even The New York Times wrote a weekly recap on many of its shows and the series finale received three long articles analyzing the show and its effect. I feel TV used to unite us. “Everyone” watched Leave it to Beaver, The Ed Sullivan Show, The Fugitive and Dallas to give some examples. Now with so many choices, people aren’t watching the same shows. Less to talk about and to discuss. So much for so many options.
