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The acclaimed FX Cold War program 鈥淭he Americans鈥� returns for a fourth season on March 16.

鈥淎mericans鈥� stars Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell as two KGB agents living in America in the 1980s who pose as a married couple. The two have been under cover for quite a while and have two children (Holly Taylor and Keidrich Sellati).聽

The show debuted in 2013 and has been critically acclaimed, with several critics selecting the program as one of the best of 2015.聽

Actor Dylan Baker of 鈥淪elma鈥� is appearing in the new episodes and executive producer Joel Fields revealed Baker鈥檚 role in an interview with the Examiner. 鈥淗e's going to be a important part of the season," Mr. Fields said. "He's a new illegal whom Phillip and Elizabeth will be working with over the course of the season and he's the vector of some really deadly stuff.鈥澛�

Fields also said that storylines put in motion in past episodes will now be paying off.

鈥淭his is a season in which things are coming to a head," he said. "We like to try and make [each] season different, for ourselves if nothing else, and I think one thing that happened this season that we haven't done before is just kept going from last season. We were able to follow the rocket that was this story.鈥�

Actress Holly Taylor, who portrays Philip and Elizabeth鈥檚 daughter, Paige, told USA Today that the show addresses themes with which any viewer can connect.聽

鈥淭here are so many connections in the show as to family conflict: between spouses, between parents and children,鈥� Ms. Taylor said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just that 鈥楾he Americans鈥� heightens it to an extreme level, because not everybody鈥檚 parents are killing people and fighting for their country during a war.鈥澛�

鈥淎mericans鈥� is one of several period dramas on cable right now. Other cable programs set in times other than our own include HBO鈥檚 1970s-set show 鈥淰inyl,鈥� the Showtime 19th-century show 鈥淧enny Dreadful,鈥� AMC鈥檚 Revolutionary War show 鈥淭urn,鈥� and Starz鈥檚 18th-century program 鈥淥utlander,鈥� among others.

There are a few on broadcast TV as well, including ABC鈥檚 new Biblical program 鈥淥f Kings and Prophets鈥� and the network鈥檚 1980s comedy 鈥淭he Goldbergs鈥� as well as the CW鈥檚 鈥淩eign,鈥� among others.

Deadline writer Christy Grosz noted recently that there has been a 鈥渟urge in historical dramas.鈥澛�

鈥淒ownton Abbey鈥� producer Gareth Neame credited an acclaimed AMC drama with this resurgence in an interview with Deadline.

鈥淎merica has not been a country that鈥檚 as comfortable and quite possibly as obsessed with its past as the British are,鈥� Mr. Neame said. 鈥淲hy it鈥檚 changed is that storytellers have started to comment on the 20th century. With 鈥楳ad Men,鈥� looking at this extraordinary 15 to 20 years in modern American history allowed audiences to think it鈥檚 okay to look back.鈥澛�

However, the time period depicted may make the program difficult to watch for some, particularly if historical events are portrayed in a certain way. Salon writer Sonia Saraiya wrote of "Americans," 鈥淚t鈥檚 a hard show to love, but in some ways, that鈥檚 the point. None of this, the show seems to say, gesturing at the world in 1983, is particularly easy. It鈥檚 a reminder of the worst part of humanity, and a memento of a terrible time in history 鈥� when a pointless struggle between two ideas of nationhood killed thousands of people and ruined the lives of many more 鈥� But what I struggle with in particular is the show鈥檚 lack of hope, in the midst of so much horror.鈥� 聽