What does it mean to be a spouse? What does it mean to be a parent? What does it mean to pledge allegiance to a country? The first season of this FX spy drama was solid stuff, but it was, in no way, a preparation for how fantastic season two was. This year, The Americans took its central characters — two KGB agents living in the Washington, D.C., suburbs of 1982 in a marriage of convenience that becomes surprisingly real — to a place few other shows would think to go. With their marriage safely solidified and finally "real," the two found they were suddenly much worse at their jobs. With something to lose in the field, they finally had weak spots that could be exploited. And that's not even mentioning how much the two worried about their children, who were increasingly enamored of the fruits of American capitalism. Showrunners Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields have crafted a series about both the wonders and the costs of loyalty, and in a year for great TV, that consistency of vision pushed the show to the very top.