Keri Russell, who once made absurd headlines for cutting off her long curly hair while starring in Felicity, is joining a new pilot. She has been cast as one of the leads in the new FX project The Americans, where she will play an undercover KGB spy living with her (also spy) husband in America.
According to Deadline Russell negotiated long and hard for the role in the pilot. It’s being described as a period drama which takes place in the 1980s. Yes, the 1980s, which apparently is now long enough in the past to qualify for period drama status. Anyone else feel a little bit old reading that? It was bad enough when 80s music showed up on the classic rock station.
My issues with aging aside, The Americans will follow a couple who are spies for the Russians, living in America during the Cold War. Although their marriage is an arranged one for spying purposes, they start to develop real feelings for each other, which is difficult to do in the Cold War climate that is growing worse each day. The two struggle to handle their underlings and their own relationship. All of which is apparently “darkly funny”.
Russell, who returned to TV after a long stretch (except a guest role on Scrubs) following Felcity’s ending in Running Wilde, which didn’t make the cut and was pulled from the air without all episodes even being seen. She has to be hoping this project will have a little more success.
