Watch The Americans Online - Full Episodes

The Americans is a live action dramatic series that aired on network television in the United States during the early 1960s. The program was a small part of a larger U.S. push to commemorate the centennial of the Civil War's beginning. The concept for the series was inspired by The Valiant Virginians, a 1953 novel written by Warner Bellah.

The Americans is the tale of two brothers from Virginia, Ben and Jeff Canfield, who decide to fight on opposite sides during the Civil War. Ben, played by actor Darryl Hickman, sides with the Union while Jeff, portrayed by Richard Davalos, fights for the Confederate States of America. Each brother appears in alternating episodes of The Americans, and they come close to meeting each other on the battlefield only once - during the 7th episode titled Reconnaissance.

The rest of the installments, save for the premiere episode where the split of the Canfield brothers is shown, focus on Ben and Jeff and dealings on separate sides of the Civil War. Some of the situations Ben gets involved in for the Union include failed attempts to discipline men under his command, getting captured and being placed in the Confederacy's infamous Libby prison, and breaking up a ring that receives huge incentive bonuses for recruitment, only to smuggle the new soldiers out of camp. Some of the incidents Jeff deals with include heading to Washington D.C. as a spy courier, making attempts to obtain as many Union cannons as possible when its discovered they're short on munitions, and working with a seasoned veteran and raw recruit to weaken Union railroad lines near Harper's Ferry.

Produced by Frank Telford, The Americans premiered on NBC in January 1961 as a mid-season replacement. A total of 17 one-hour episodes aired until May of the same year. The program was not picked up for a second season.