Jan 30, 2013: Ten years ago today, The Americans premiered on FX Networks. (2013–2018)
![[Image: sTQBjJU.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/sTQBjJU.jpg)
![[Image: 1ztUWFG.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/1ztUWFG.jpg)
![[Image: 7dYwvkq.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/7dYwvkq.jpg)
The premise of this series is partly based on the true story that broke in 2010 of a cell of Russian Sleeper agents who had been "hiding in plain sight" in the United States for decades (also known as the "Spy Swap of 2010"). Several of them had children, coworkers, friends, and neighbors who all had no idea that they were spies. These agents were ultimately returned to Russia in a trade for some Americans that Russia was holding. They were also known as the "illegals" Russia's elite spies.
Joseph Weisberg who created the show and studied Soviet history and politics at Yale, and was a job counselor to Soviet émigrés, a CIA case officer back in the early 90s, and a novel writer. As a former agent, any script written by Weisberg must go in front of the CIA Publications Review Board. President Obama was such an avid fan of the series he invited stars Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys to a state dinner at the White House. Much of his storyline for the show came from the Mitrokhin Archive which was hand delivered to the British spooks by KGB archivist Vasili Mitrokhin when he defected to the UK in 1992.
Mikhail Anatolyevich Vasenkov who was the senior KGB spy in the "Illegals Program" that inspired the series, died in Russia on 6 April 2022 at age 79.
Agent Frank Gaad (played by Richard Thomas), his last name is a derogatory term in Russian and translates to reptile or snake.
The after party for the season 1 premiere was, appropriately, the Russian Tea Room in New York City.
![[Image: WqJGiWC.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/WqJGiWC.jpg)
Circled is Joseph Weisberg.
The premise of this series is partly based on the true story that broke in 2010 of a cell of Russian Sleeper agents who had been "hiding in plain sight" in the United States for decades (also known as the "Spy Swap of 2010"). Several of them had children, coworkers, friends, and neighbors who all had no idea that they were spies. These agents were ultimately returned to Russia in a trade for some Americans that Russia was holding. They were also known as the "illegals" Russia's elite spies.
Joseph Weisberg who created the show and studied Soviet history and politics at Yale, and was a job counselor to Soviet émigrés, a CIA case officer back in the early 90s, and a novel writer. As a former agent, any script written by Weisberg must go in front of the CIA Publications Review Board. President Obama was such an avid fan of the series he invited stars Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys to a state dinner at the White House. Much of his storyline for the show came from the Mitrokhin Archive which was hand delivered to the British spooks by KGB archivist Vasili Mitrokhin when he defected to the UK in 1992.
Mikhail Anatolyevich Vasenkov who was the senior KGB spy in the "Illegals Program" that inspired the series, died in Russia on 6 April 2022 at age 79.
Agent Frank Gaad (played by Richard Thomas), his last name is a derogatory term in Russian and translates to reptile or snake.
The after party for the season 1 premiere was, appropriately, the Russian Tea Room in New York City.
Circled is Joseph Weisberg.
"It is hard to imagine a more stupid or more dangerous way of making decisions than by putting those decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong." – Thomas Sowell