History Trivia / TheAmericans

* FakeAmerican: A recursive case for Matthew Rhys, a Welshman playing a Russian faking an American accent.

* ReferencedBy: In ''Film/BlackWidow2021'', Alexei, Melina, Natasha and Yelena are shown operating in America as deep cover Russian spies disguised as an American family unit.

** An umbrella with a hidden poisoned blade from Season 1 is reminiscent of a device that was used in the assassination of Georgi Markov in 1979. The historic assassin's umbrella did not have a blade but shot tiny poisonous pellets.

** Also, Oliver North actually consulted on a couple of Season 2 episodes about the Contra camps and even gained writing credits. Lt. Col. North had gained notoriety for having testified about the Iran-Contra affair, in which [[UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan the Reagan administration]] engineered a plot to trade arms for hostages in order to engineer coups in Nicaragua. He was convicted of perjury over it, but his convictions were reversed on appeal.

* BigNameFan:
** Music/DavidBowie was a huge fan of the show and even personally signed off on the use of his and Music/{{Queen}}'s song "Under Pressure" in a Season 4 episode. It was one of the final personal approvals that he gave before his death a couple days later.
** Creator/BenAffleck is also a fan; when he worked with Allison Wright on ''Film/TheAccountant'', he called her by her FanNickname "Poor Martha".

* FakeAmerican: Doubly meta for Matthew Rhys, a Welshman playing a Russian faking an American accent.

** The show's creator, Joe Weisberg, is a former CIA Officer. Because of this, every script of ''The Americans'' must be submitted to the CIA for review to make sure that Weisberg didn't put any classified information in the script.

* BigNameFan: Music/DavidBowie was a huge fan of the show and even personally signed off on the use of his and Music/{{Queen}}'s song "Under Pressure" in a Season 4 episode. It was one of the final personal approvals that he gave before his death a couple days later.
** Creator/BenAffleck is also a big fan; when he worked with Allison Wright on ''Film/TheAccountant'', he called her by her FanNickname "Poor Martha".

** [[Creator/FrankLangella Frank Langella]], famous for villainous roles such as [[Film/Dracula1979 Dracula]] and [[Film/FrostNixon Richard Nixon]], plays grandfatherly ReasonableAuthorityFigure Gabriel.

** Creator/BenAffleck is also a big fan; when he worked with Allison Wright on ''Film/The Accountant'', he called her by her FanNickname "Poor Martha".

** Also, Oliver North actually consulted on a couple of Season 2 episodes about the Contra camps and even gained writing credits. Lt. Col. North had gained notoriety for having testified about the Iran-Contra affair, in which [[UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan the Reagan administration]] engineered a plot to trade arms for hostages in order to engineer coups in Nicaragua. He was convicted of perjury over it, but later pardoned.

* PlayingAgainstType: Keri Russell has typically been known for playing good girls in movies and television shows. In this show she's a ruthless KGB operative who is willing to seduce, manipulate, blackmail, and murder in order to serve Mother Russia.
* RomanceOnTheSet: Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys got together after Keri and her husband Shane Deary separated in early 2013. Russell and Rhys had a baby in 2016.

* WriteWhatYouKnow: The show's creator, Joe Weisberg, is a former CIA Officer. Because of this, every script of ''The Americans'' must be submitted to the CIA for review to make sure that Weisberg didn't put any classified information in the script.

* RomanceOnTheSet: Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys got together after Keri and her husband Shane Deary seperated in early 2013. Russell and Rhys had a baby in 2016.

* RomanceOnTheSet: Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys got together after Keri and her husband Shane Deary seperated in early 2013. Russell and Rhys are now expecting their first child in 2016.

** Also, Oliver North actually consulted on a couple of Season 2 episodes about the Contra camps and even gained writing credits. Lt. Col. North had gained notoriety for having testified about the Iran-Contra affair, in which [[UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan the Reagan administration]] engineered a plot to trade arms for hostages in order to engineer coups in Nicaragua.

** A cylindrical device Elizabeth used to poison a target in the pool was in fact a cyanide gun. The exact same weapon was used by a KGB assassin to eliminate leaders of the Ucranian nationalists in the late 50s. Elizabeth accurately points out that she needs to take an antidote pill to avoid poisoning herself. She even disguises her cyanide gun in a rolled up towel while the historical assassin hid his weapon in a rolled up newspaper.

** Also, Oliver North actually consulted on a couple of Season 2 episodes about the Contra camps and even gained writing credits. Lt. Col. l North had gained notoriety for having testified about the Iran-Contra affair, in which [[UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan the Reagan administration]] engineered a plot to trade arms for hostages in order to engineer coups in Nicaragua.

** Also, Oliver North, the controversial general during UsefulNotes/TheGulfWar, actually consulted on a couple of Season 2 episodes about the Contra camps and even gained writing credits. General North had gained notoriety for having testified about the Iran-Contra affair, in which [[UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan the Reagan administration]] engineered a plot to trade arms for hostages in order to engineer coups in Nicaragua.

* RoleAssociation: Peter Jacobson, who plays Proxy (later Warden) Alan Snyder on ''Series/{{Colony}}'' has come onto this show as an authority figure as well.

** Also, Oliver North, the general during UsefulNotes/TheGulfWar, actually consulted on a couple of Season 2 episodes about the Contra camps and even gained writing credits. General North had gained notoriety for having testified about the controversial Iran-Contra scandal, in which [[UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan the Reagan administration]] engineered a plot to trade arms for hostages in order to engineer coups in Nicaragua.