“The Americans” co-showrunner Joel Fields feels that the show’s fourth season is the prelude to the final act of the FX drama.
“What we do know is this fourth season feels–if you think about a three act story structure, it feels like we’re coming to the end of our second act,” Fields said during a TCA panel on Saturday.
“And whether it takes a fifth season or a fifth and sixth season to tell the rest of that story, we’ll discover that as we start to dig into next season’s work,” he continued. “What we do know is we have the support of the network to do what’s right for the show and to make those choices based on what’s important to the story and what we want to do creatively.”
Fields also addressed a question about whether or not the show has gotten more violent with each progressive season.
“We’re certainly not looking to top ourselves in any overt way,” he said. “But we are very aware…this is a show about soldiers. They may be behind enemy lines, they may be undercover, but they see themselves as soldiers. Forcing them to face the consequences of their actions…it’s provocative for the character and something we can’t run away from.”
FX announced Saturday that “The Americans” will return for its fourth season on March 16 at 10 p.m. The premiere episode, “Glanders,” picks up on the heels of last season’s finale. Philip (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth (Keri Russell) are dealing with the fallout of all they’ve wrought.