DAVID GREENE, HOST:
So guess what? There is just under a month left in this decade. And to mark that, we've been asking artists to share some of the things they loved over the last 10 years. Damon Lindelof, creator of acclaimed TV shows like "The Leftovers" and "Watchmen," singled out a show from this decade that resonated with him.
DAMON LINDELOF: One of the TV shows that's really stayed with me is "The Americans."
(SOUNDBITE OF NATHAN BARR'S "THE AMERICANS MAIN TITLE THEME")
LINDELOF: I definitely have a real nostalgia for the mid-'80s. That's when I was raised. And I tend to really like genre fare. I want things with science fiction and time travel and superheroes and monsters. "The Americans" has none of those things, and I just found it completely and utterly riveting.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE AMERICANS")
UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character) We're up against the most sophisticated enemy in the world - super-secret spies living next door. They look like those. They speak better English than we do. They're not allowed to say a single word in Russian once they get here.
LINDELOF: It's an incredibly, beautifully written show, incredible character work.
(SOUNDBITE OF TV SHOW, "THE AMERICANS")
KERI RUSSELL: (As Elizabeth Jennings) You want to betray our country.
MATTHEW RHYS: (As Philip Jennings) Well, after everything we've done, I don't think it's such a betrayal.
RUSSELL: (As Elizabeth Jennings) Defecting to America?
RHYS: (As Philip Jennings) America's not so bad. We've been here a long time. What's so bad about it, you know? The electricity works all the time. The food's pretty great. Closet space.
RUSSELL: (As Elizabeth Jennings) Is that what you care about?
RHYS: (As Philip Jennings) No, I care about everything.
RUSSELL: (As Elizabeth Jennings) Not the motherland.
RHYS: (As Philip Jennings) I do. But our family comes first.
LINDELOF: I think about it all the time to this day.
(SOUNDBITE OF NATHAN BARR'S "THE AMERICANS END CREDITS")
GREENE: Damon Lindelof, talking about one of his favorite shows from the decade.
(SOUNDBITE OF NATHAN BARR'S "THE AMERICANS END CREDITS") Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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