The Americans are returning to the UK.
ITV Encore has closed a deal with Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution to acquire the exclusive UK broadcast rights to FX’s Cold War era spy drama The Americans, TVWise has learned. ITV Encore’s deal with Fox covers both the third season and recently ordered fourth season.
Created by Joe Weisberg, The Americans revolves around two KGB sleeper agents in 1980s America. The drama series is produced by FX Production and Fox 21 Television Studios and stars Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys and Noah Emmerich. The executive producers are Joe Wiesberg, Joel Fields, Graham Yost, Daniel Sackheim, Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank.
This deal marks something of a reversal for ITV and comes more than six months after the broadcaster confirmed that they would not be renewing their licensing deal for The Americans for the main ITV channel, where the show first aired between 2013 and 2014, due to low ratings. The first two seasons of The Americans will air on ITV Encore later this month, with the show’s third season set to premiere later this Summer.
ITV’s new licensing deal with Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution was brokered by ITV’s Head of Acquired Series Sasha Breslau and Steve Cornish, Senior Vice-President & Managing Director of Twentieth Century Fox Television Distribution. “We are thrilled that ITV will continue to be the home of The Americans in the UK”, said Cornish.
While ITV’s Head of Acquired series Sasha Breslau added: “I am delighted to be renewing our partnership with Fox Television on The Americans, a truly distinctive, utterly compelling drama which grips you tighter with each season. It feels like the perfect fit for ITV Encore”.
