Lights, Camera, Lots of Action

FX’s “The Americans” Shoots at City by Maty DrameEarlier this month, parts of the City College campus looked more like the 1980s, than 2018.  On February 6, CCNY hosted the cast and crew of the FX television series “The Americans” for an episode that will air in its final season. Vintage cars and props and retro-clad actors and extras, along with countless equipment and crew members, populated Convent Avenue between the Wille Administration building and the North Academic Center from morning until late evening.The award-winning show, starring Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell, centers around two married undercover KGB agents living in the suburbs of Washington, D.C. disguised as Americans in the 1980s, as they live double lives at a turning point in the Cold War.A number of shows and films have used CCNY as its stage, including a recent episode of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” in which an alt right television pundit was sexaully assaulted during a college speaking event. That episode aired on NBC on January 31.For “The Americans,” City College provided a unique backdrop. “The architecture here is great for our period show, which is 1980s Washington, D.C.,” said a production team member, who gave his name as Charlie. He added that the scenes they were shooting would air on one of the last episodes of the show, and for that reason he could not give away any spoilers, visual or otherwise.While no specific air date was available for the episode shot on campus the sixth and final season of the show will premiere on March 28 at 10 pm EST on FX.