10 Reasons The Americans Is The Best TV Show You've Never Seen

It's a spy show, so obviously there's going to be suspense, but it's nevertheless something that The Americans does exceptionally well.

Throughout the series, Philip and Elizabeth get themselves into dozens of situations where they nearly get caught, and this typically results in foot/car chases, and killing witnesses and disposing of their bodies.

One of the best scenes in the series involves Elizabeth breaking a tooth after an encounter with FBI agents, which becomes infected, and Philip has to pull it out without anaesthesia. It's a grotesque and highly uncomfortable scene, but a brilliantly-directed and intense one.

In addition to avoiding being caught on their missions, their daughter, Paige (Holly Taylor), and their FBI agent neighbor, Stan (Noah Emmerich) become increasingly suspicious of them every time they abruptly leave for "work."

And that's only covering the main storyline of the show.