http://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-cruel-irony-of-the-americans

"In nearly every scene,” says Joshua Rothman, "there’s an item of clothing or a turn of phrase to make you smile and remember the nineteen-eighties. The show’s setup is intrinsically humorous—in part because it’s loosely based on a real (and spectacularly unsuccessful) Russian spy program that was busted up by the F.B.I. a few years ago.”