The return of The Americans last night on FX for its Season 5 debut was met with a bit of indifference. Now on a Tuesday for the first time at 10 PM, the Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields EP’d show hit a season debut low with 930,000 total viewers and a 0.2 rating among adults 18-49.
The 71-minute airing was down 33% in the key demo from the Season 4 opener last year and 16% in overall audience. The March 16, 2016 Season 4 premiere was the previous low for the Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell starring show. The Wednesday debut last year snared 1.113 million viewers and an 18-49 rating of 0.3.
For FX, such live + same day numbers aren’t going to make anyone happy but their true emphasis is on delayed viewing in Live + 3 and more, where the acclaimed Americans has seen strong increases the past few seasons week after week. The good news for fans is that the show was already given a two season renewal to conclude the show so the it’s set to end next season with season 6. Ratings won’t be a huge deal for the show but it’s a shame that pretty much its entire run it has been known as the best show on TV you aren’t watching.
