"The Americans" (2013–2014, seasons 1–2)

The series is about sex, love, family, and vocation---in no particular order. Season 1 is structured as a perfect textbook. There is a context for each episode, so that it can be watched separately, at least in principle. But there is also a theme, a plot line, that runs through. Season 2, confident in its ability to keep the attention of the audience, is a single, extended story.

The show does not require its protagonists do stupid things to get themselves into interesting situations. Instead, the plot presents the characters with situations in which morally correct behaviour is not apparent and consumer-grade morality is inapplicable. All characters are intelligent, mature.

The show correctly captures the signature of a foreigner: someone who has had an opportunity to question and redefine the social norms and graces, someone who has reduced Americanness to its essence.

By contrast to movies, the series has no worldwide distribution. Hence, there is no pressure to win foreign markets with technological gimmicks and short snappy conversations. There is no misconception that the story must be brought down to the lowest common denominator to appeal broadly.

Episode "Only You" captures something ineffable in Gregory's desire to die in the streets of an American city. The romanticism of a ten-minute walk through the---for the occasion---San-Francisco-exuding streets of D.C. is worth a lifetime in Moscow, for him.