The Illegals: The Americans Rewatch Podcast

”Trust Me.” Good luck with that. Spies. Handlers. FBI agents. Creepy strangers in cars. Everyone on this show is asking for trust and almost no one deserves it. The full panel is back for Episode 6 — heated, hilarious, and a little bit Jersey. Elizabeth beats the hell out of Granny and the panel is mostly okay with it. The guy who runs honeypots gets honeypotted by his own secretary. The subtitles are not telling you what the Russians are actually saying. Henry is the hero we didn’t know we needed. And somehow it ends in a debate about pork roll vs. Taylor ham. Michelle Kinney, Julie Roginsky, Nina Jankowicz, Lt. Col. Jaclyn Urso (ret.), and Jeff Jarvis. New episodes every Thursday. The Illegals: The Americans Rewatch Podcast is an independent rewatch podcast and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the creators or producers of The Americans. New episodes every Thursday on YouTube and Apple Podcasts.

Episode 4 covers ”In Control” — the episode built around the assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981, and what happens when both superpowers are convinced the other one did it. The panel digs into the fog of war, the clash of Soviet and American mentalities, why the Cold War never really ended, and how close the show comes to depicting an accidental World War III — stopped not by diplomacy, but by suburban Virginia. Plus: Elizabeth shoots someone without blinking, the kids are still home alone, and Olga has a former KGB agent who might come on the show. Panel: Michelle Kinney, Julie Roginsky, Craig Miller, Jeff Jarvis, and Olga Lautman. The Illegals: The Americans Rewatch Podcast is an independent rewatch podcast and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the creators or producers of The Americans. New episodes every Thursday on YouTube and Apple Podcasts.

Episode 2 digs into ”The Clock” — and the panel brings the kind of analysis you’re not going to find anywhere else. A Soviet refugee who lived it. A former Marine who knows exactly how you break someone’s arm — and why. A media critic and author who contextualizes it. A creative director and former actor with an eye for every frame. And someone who appreciates good caviar and knows it should never be in your pocket all day. This week: the mission that gets the KGB inside the Secretary of Defense’s home, the caviar scene that accidentally explains everything about life in the USSR, the introduction of Nina, and why watching Stan Beeman in a post-Kristi Noem world hits completely differently. Michelle Kinney, Julie Roginsky, Jeff Jarvis, Lt. Col. Jaclyn Urso (ret.), and Craig Miller. New episodes every Thursday.

COMING SOON: The Illegals: The Americans Rewatch Podcast revisits the acclaimed FX series The Americans through the lenses of history, intelligence, geopolitics, culture — and great television. Hosted by Michelle Kinney, Julie Roginsky, Olga Lautman, Nina Jankowicz, Jeff Jarvis, Lt. Col. Jaclyn Urso (Ret.), and Craig Miller, the show brings together experts in Russian affairs, disinformation, national security, journalism, and culture to rewatch one of the greatest TV dramas ever made. Yes, we’ll dive into the real spycraft, Soviet “illegals” program, and the Cold War history behind the story. But we’ll also talk about the music, the performances, the wigs, the Reagan-era pop culture — and why The Americans remains one of the smartest and most entertaining shows ever made.