15 Best Shows Like The Americans

Joe Weisberg’s “The Americans” always did things right. Two KGB agents posing as regular American citizens in a nice Washington D.C. suburb while hatching various wicked Soviet espionage plans was a whopper of a premise, and it was a masterstroke to painstakingly humanize the Soviet spies — a character archetype that’s often relegated to stereotypical antagonism of the mustache-twirling variety. As a cherry on top, “The Americans” is a show that’s based on a true story, so it’s a period drama with very real, weighty stakes.

Whether you watch “The Americans” for its complex themes of duty and identity or simply because it’s an extremely good prestige spy series, there’s little denying that it’s one of the best TV shows of the 21st century. This, unfortunately, means that it can also be a very tough act to follow. After you’ve devoured all six seasons of “The Americans,” you might be looking for a show that’s similar enough to keep you in that quality spy thriller loop. Fortunately, TVLine has found no fewer than 15 shows that may be able to scratch your “The Americans” itch.

Olen Steinhauer’s “Berlin Station” is a great choice for every “The Americans” fan who’s drawn to the FX show’s spycraft details and the sense of otherness that comes from infiltrating enemy forces in a foreign culture. Though “Berlin Station” lacks the period drama aspect of “The Americans,” the two shows reside in the same wheelhouse of handlers, agents, secrets, moles, and powerful spy organizations.

Our viewpoint on “Berlin Station” comes courtesy of the CIA agents plying their dangerous trade in Germany’s titular capital. From dangerous missions to stop terror acts that could have catastrophic consequences to interactions with Germany’s own intelligence agency, BfV, the show puts in plenty of work to convince the viewer of the nitty-gritty of the job. This means that while James Bond fans should definitely look elsewhere, friends of “The Americans” will find plenty to relate to in the Epix drama’s three seasons. With a cast that includes names like Richard Armitage, Rhys Ifans, Keke Palmer, Michelle Forbes, and Tamlyn Tomita, the viewer can trust that the character work is on point, too.

Sandra Grimes and Jeanne Vertefeuille’s ABC miniseries “The Assets” walks the same ground as “The Americans” — expect Soviet spies, counterintelligence operatives, death, and deception. Both shows are 1980s-themed period pieces that draw from real history. However, while “The Americans” focuses on original characters, “The Assets” is based on a very specific case and real people, as detailed in real-life CIA agents Grimes and Vertefeuille’s book “Circle of Treason.” 

Aldrich Ames (played on the show by Paul Rhys) was one of the most prominent CIA moles who were spying on the agency on behalf of the Soviet Union. He started his side career as a Soviet asset in 1985 and wasn’t caught until 1994. “The Assets” focuses on him and similar moles, with the show’s versions of Grimes (Jodie Whittaker) and Vertefeuille (Harriet Walter) slowly closing in.

An interesting watch for fans of espionage history, “The Assets” features several real-life names from both sides of the 1980s spookshow era. Quality wise, the limited series doesn’t quite match “The Americans,” but its extremely similar themes and close ties to real historical events make it a worthy watch for fans of the FX show.

Imagine a strange section of the French Directorate General for External Security called the Bureau of Legends, which handles operatives who spend time undercover in various corners of the world, carrying out dangerous missions under false identities. Their stories are told on Éric Rochant’s “The Bureau,” which focuses on deep-cover espionage from various viewpoints — including what happens when an agent who’s spent years as someone else has to return to his real identity.

In other words, “The Bureau” plays with the exact same themes as “The Americans,” with a similarly massive cast of notable characters. Here, the central players include Guillaume “Malotry” Debailly (Mathieu Kassovitz), who’s struggling to be himself after six years in Syria, and promptly reverts to his old fake identity when his academic lover Nadia (Zineb Triki) relocates to Paris. Another notable focus figure is Marina “Phénomène” Loiseau (Sara Giraudeau), a capable agent who’s undertaking a dangerous undercover mission in Iran.

A globetrotting show where few people are safe and ruthless factions all work toward their own goals, “The Bureau” weaves a contemporary web that seems like a logical continuation of the 1980s themes of “The Americans.” The times might change, but deep-cover operatives always have a hard time.

If you like “The Americans” but are looking to dive into a more traditional procedural that still covers similar themes, look no further than NBC’s “Allegiance.” The show revolves around a combination team of FBI and CIA operatives who look into a potentially catastrophic plot by Russia’s SVR intelligence service. If this wasn’t enough, there’s one little hitch: While CIA analyst Alex O’Connor (Gavin Stenhouse) is arguably the team’s biggest asset, the majority of his family members are actually deep-cover Russian spies.

Much of “The Americans” focuses on the undercover KGB agents’ attempts to maintain their cover in front of both their unwitting family members and American agents like Stan Beeman (Noah Emmerich). “Allegiance” runs on very similar fuel, though it doesn’t quite reach the same heights — unfortunately, the show only got one season. Still, for people who enjoy the complex family dynamics of sleeper cell espionage, “Allegiance” can serve as a very nice dessert after “The Americans.”

David Farr’s BBC One-Amazon Prime Video spy thriller “The Night Manager” is very different from John le Carré’s book of the same name, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The show is a two-time Emmy winner with a cast for the ages: Marvel Cinematic Universe star and two-time Emmy nominee Tom Hiddleston joins forces with the wonderfully acerbic 10-time Emmy nominee Hugh Laurie and Academy Award winner Olivia Colman for a story about infiltration, spycraft, international arms deals, and conflicts that become highly personal at the drop of a hat.

Such ingredients make “The Night Manager” a natural thematic sibling of “The Americans,” but the two shows focus on such different corners of the spy world that their similar themes can be enjoyed without story repetition. Where “The Americans” focuses on Soviet spies infiltrating America, “The Night Manager” has its undercover man, Jonathan Pine (Hiddleston), and his handler, Angela Burr (Colman), infiltrate the inner circles of large-scale arms dealers. It’s still the same sandwich, but the toppings are just different enough to intrigue the palate.

Netflix’s “Black Doves” is a show that leans toward the action side of the spy game a bit more than “The Americans,” but at the end of the day, it’s just a slightly different flavor of the same theme. Joe Barton’s “Black Doves” features Keira Knightley as Helen Webb, a deep-cover spy who has managed to make it to the highest echelons of British elite: Her husband (Andrew Buchan) is the Secretary of State for Defense. Unfortunately, her life goes sideways when the death of her lover, Jason (Andrew Koji), compromises her, which prompts a complex mission and the comeback of a dangerous old acquaintance called Sam (Ben Whishaw).

“Black Doves” tells the story of the titular, fictional spy organization and Helen’s role in it on multiple timelines, slowly peeling back the layers of mystery while adding new complexities to the story. If you enjoy the infiltration element of “The Americans” but would like a touch more action and aren’t too hung up on real historical events, this may very well be the show for you.

Sacha Baron Cohen might not be your go-to choice for a serious espionage role, but Gideon Raff’s six-episode miniseries “The Spy” is happy to prove that knee-jerk reaction wrong. Here, Cohen portrays a real-life Mossad spy called Eli Cohen, who performs a lengthy and extremely successful infiltration into Syria’s society and government over several years. If you’re not familiar with the true story, it’d be easy to dismiss the plot as fake — but much of it is as real as it gets.

Removed from the weight of historical and current events, and judged by its artistic merits alone, “The Spy” is right up the alley of any fan of “The Americans.” With an 86% Tomatometer rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the 2019 miniseries is a stellar watch, and Cohen’s Golden Globe nomination for best performance by an actor in a limited series or a motion picture made for television is a good reminder that just because he’s known for playing Borat doesn’t mean that the man can’t act in serious roles.

Based on Robert Littell’s novel of the same title, Ken Nolan’s 2007 TNT three-part miniseries “The Company” focuses on three friends who walk dramatically varying espionage-themed paths in their lives. Yevgeny Tsipin (Rory Cochrane) ends up with the KGB, while Jack McAuliffe (Chris O’Donnell) and Leo Kritzky (Alessandro Nivola) join the CIA to have what turn out to be very different careers. On their respective fronts, they’re surrounded by various spymaster figures based on real-life ones, played by titans like Michael Keaton, Alfred Molina, and Tom Hollander.

“The Company” differs from “The Americans” in that it spans entire decades of the Cold War in its narrative, starting in 1950 and ending in 1991. However, the tool kits of its spies remain the same, as does the way everyone constantly operates on the grey area. Whether you watch it for its star-studded cast or its many tales of moles and infiltrators, “The Company” is a compact tale of spycraft at its murkiest — and realest.

By now, every espionage aficionado and the cat that likes to nap on the TV stand are no doubt aware of Apple TV’s “Slow Horses.” It has long been one of the best spy shows you should add to your watchlist for a good while, but what might not be immediately apparent is just how well Jackson Lamb’s (Gary Oldman) flock of Slough House rejects compares to a show like “The Americans.” 

Put the two shows side by side, and it’s plain to see that the two are spiritual and thematic siblings. They both approach the art of espionage from various, sometimes offbeat vantage points. They rely heavily on character relationships and chemistry, and offer an intriguing blend of homebrew spy antics and legitimate professionalism. In the right circumstances, you could imagine taking virtually any character from “The Americans” and place them in a “Slow Horses” setting (and vice versa), and little would seem out of place. 

Every season of “Slow Horses” is a delight in its own way, so fans of “The Americans” are in good hands. Sure, there are tonal differences, and the particular brand of intensity “Slow Horses” offers can be somewhat different from the one on “The Americans.” Nevertheless, the two definitely sit at the same metaphorical Thanksgiving table — even though Jackson Lamb would probably insist on playing the part of the deliberately obfuscating drunk uncle.

Leaning heavily on the political side of “The Americans” is Debora Cahn’s Netflix drama “The Diplomat.” Apart from tonal similarities, the big draw here is “The Americans” star Keri Russell, who’s the centerpiece of “The Diplomat” as Kate Wyler. Kate is appointed as the United States ambassador to the United Kingdom during the time of a deep-set crisis that also coincides with a difficult era in her personal life. What follows is a story full of twists, turns, and extremely high stakes that will be perfectly familiar to “The Americans” fans — only with a different viewpoint and an arguably larger scale.

“The Diplomat” approaches statecraft in the same way “The Americans” approaches spycraft: As a realistic, grim affair where the personal and the professional sides of life often intersect. Kate’s difficult marriage with fellow diplomat Hal Wyler (Rufus Sewell) is surprisingly similar to that of Philip and Elizabeth Jennings on “The Americans” in that it focuses on a relationship between two people in a highly specialized, high-stakes position with the potential to affect national security.

Whether you’re a fan of “The Americans” in general or Russell in particular, “The Diplomat” is a ride worth experiencing. It should go without saying that the actor’s performance here is on point, and indeed, TVLine named Russell the performer of the week in October 2025 for “The Diplomat” Season 3 episode “Birdwatcher.”

Another spy thriller miniseries, William Boyd’s “Spy City” takes place in the 1960s and focuses on the tensions in Berlin just before the construction of the wall. Agents from both East and West Berlin abound, with the British agent Fielding Scott (Dominic Cooper) acting as our main character.

Starting in the same era with “The Americans,” the show portrays a very similar cat-and-mouse game between Western and Soviet spies and agents. Being a city that was quite literally split in two at the time, the 1960s Berlin of the show serves as a hotbed of spy activities that are often just as stealthy as the ones that are the focus point of “The Americans,” and occasionally somewhat more explosive. The 2020 show could easily be a spiritual prequel that sets up the events that lead to the world of “The Americans” — and, as far as real history is concerned, that’s very much what it is.

Several shows on this list are based on books, and “Condor” is no exception. James Grady’s spy novel “Six Days of the Condor” inspired Sydney Pollack’s classic 1975 film “Three Days of the Condor,” and in 2018, the story continued its reign with the Epix show “Condor.” Here, Max Irons plays CIA analyst Joe Turner, who’s the sole survivor of an attack against his office. The incident soon turns out to have connections to something much bigger.

Mysterious assassinations and an impending terror attack form the backbone of “Condor.” If you’re even cursorily familiar with the story, you may already know that Todd Katzberg, Jason Smilovic, and Ken Robinson’s spy thriller show is a good fit for a fan of “The Americans.” That’s especially true for viewers who enjoyed the show’s more dramatic elements, such as the Season 1 episode “Mutually Assured Destruction,” which sees Elizabeth and Philip in a race against time to stop an assassin who’s targeting American scientists.

If “The Americans” shifted its focus to characters like CIA man Isaac Breland (Frank Deal), it would basically become “Homeland.” Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa’s Showtime espionage drama tells eight seasons’ worth of thrilling spy stories with heavy political leanings, with plenty of focus on the various CIA operators’ and politicians’ personal lives as well.

At the beginning of the show, our main focus characters are the dedicated but complex counterterrorism expert Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) and the al-Qaeda prisoner-turned-political animal Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis), whose motivations remain murky for a long time. “Homeland” keeps its pot at a constant bubble, introducing new plot points and revisiting old ones often enough to keep the viewer on the edge of their seat. With eight Primetime Emmys and numerous other awards under its belt, “Homeland” is a quality show that can easily soothe that post-“The Americans” ache.

Director Nick Murphy and writer Alexander Gary’s “A Spy Among Friends” is based on a book of the same name by Ben Macintyre. It focuses on the real 1960s case of British double agent Kim Philby (Guy Pearce) and his fellow Secret Intelligence Service agent Nicholas Elliott (Damian Lewis), who plays an instrumental part in bringing Philby’s activities to light.

With just six episodes, the 2023 MGM+ series tells a compact espionage thriller tale that’s even more rooted in reality than the corresponding infiltration activities of “The Americans.” Though it suffers from the drawback of telling a story that ends in a reasonably anticlimactic way — the real Philby simply ran off to the Soviet Union when the jig was up — “A Spy Among Friends” more than makes up for it by being a well-made, brilliantly acted depiction of the spy game’s nuance and intellectual aspects, which aren’t exactly unfamiliar to fans of “The Americans,” either.

As far as spy-themed shows set in the 1980s go, “The Americans” goes hand in hand with “Deutschland 83.” The main difference is that the action focuses on a different country in Anna and Jörg Winger’s German 2015 miniseries.

“Deutschland 83” deals with the same themes of deep-cover infiltration as “The Americans.” Here, the East German spy agency HVA puts young border patrol guard Martin Rauch (Jonas Nay) on the spot as a spy in the West German military, but his dangerous missions to gain information on NATO activities rarely go without a hitch.

The plot eventually starts revolving around the real-life NATO nuclear war game called Able Archer 83, examining the very real crisis behind it that nearly caused a legitimate nuclear conflict. Such real-life connection adds legitimacy to the eight-episode series’ events and helps drive home its stakes. As a result, the best moments of “Deutschland 83” handily match the intensity of “The Americans.”