The Americans, along with The Leftovers, are currently the best shows on television. Two of the five greatest shows of all time, IMO.
Random timing for me to post here, I know, it being months after the season 4 finale and months before the season 5 premier, but I couldn't sit idly by and say nothing when I saw that one of the most outstanding seasons of television of all time passed without a single comment on this site.
I would put this show, along with The Leftovers, right up there in the pantheon of television greats like The Wire, Breaking Bad, and Mad Men. In fact, these five shows are the only ones I place in what I refer to as the "transcendent" tier of television. All are remarkable accomplishments that I place side by side with some of the great literary works of all time.
I bring The Leftovers up when speaking of The Americans because both stand as the greatest achievements of this current generation of TV, and yet receive almost zero viewership.