History Series / TheAmericans

** The plot of "In Control" revolves around the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan, and the Russian government's fears that it's a coup by Secretary of State Alexander Haig- because that's how it would happen in Russia.

* TheCoup: [[spoiler:Attempted and failed by The Center during Season 6, in an effort to oust Gorbachev.]]

* SpoiledByTheFormat: The Jennings are led to believe their cover has been blown and they've been apprehended by the FBI in the sixth episode. Given the show ran for five and a half more seasons after that, most new viewers will catch on that it's really part of a SecretTest courtesy of the KGB.

* BigBad: Larrick in Season 2. Neutralizing him is Philip and Elizabeth's primary endgame since halfway through the season. [[spoiler: However, both he and the Jennings came to a collision course as a result of the actions of...]]

* HoldingHands: A lot in the first three episodes seeing as how the start of the series marks the beginning of the agents really connecting.
* HollywoodAtheist: Elizabeth. She reacts to Paige's joining a church youth group as if her daughter takes to drugs or prostitution. As a rule, while the average Soviets did frown upon religion, they wouldn't exactly freak out like Elizabeth either. Even Philip has to tell her to cool it a bit-she'd been shown to take stereotypical Soviet values far more seriously than him already.

* BuxomIsBetter: In "Pastor Tim", Henry, now a teen awash in hormones, tells Stan Beeman that he lusts after one of his teachers. When Stan asks about her, Henry says "She's got..." and makes a gesture indicating large breasts.

* HeelFaceMole: "Stingers" reveals [[spoiler:that Stan was right about Zinaida. She's not really a defector, and in fact is spying for the KGB.]]

* AntiHero: Philip and Elizabeth are ruthless spies who are working for the Russians, but they are portrayed sympathetically. A big part of the series is the pair struggling between doing their duty and following their morality. Another part of the series is showing that, whatever its flaws, the USSR is populated by people who are just as human as the Americans and willing to fight just as hard for their homeland.

** The Afghan War and ISI Sub plot plays it straight. Possibly due to modern day political sensitivities, the Afghan War is given the popular version of history, the actual nuances and timelines are quite mixed up. For instance:

* AdultFear: Paige and Henry try to hitchhike home from the mall and are picked up by a guy whose behavior turns more and more inappropriate.
** The second season deals with Philip and Elizabeth's fear of their children being injured or killed by their work.
** The ''entire show'' has the pervasive fear that someone you know, someone you trust or respect or even love, might be a completely different person, or might be betraying you, or using you for a nefarious purpose. Or might be a spy. Or a murderer.

* HitmanWithAHeart: Philip.

* {{MacGuffin}}: Many are objects of missions over the course of the series, with the most notable being the Echo floppy disk in Season 2, the Lassa Fever sample in Season 4, the "super wheat" in Season 5 and the lithium-based radiation sensor in Season 6.

* MercyKill: Elizabeth euthanizes Erica after her husband gave her an overdose of morphine that didn't work, at her request.

** Philip and Elizabeth gradually provide a example.