I Didn’t Think the Greatest Spy Thriller of All Time Can Get Better, but Disney+’s Remake Might Do It

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Disney+ is reimagining a classic spy thriller and has the potential to create something even better. Spy stories have always been popular, leading to many different movies and TV shows. While films have franchises like Mission: Impossible, Kingsman, and James Bond, television has given us memorable series such as Homeland, 24, and Alias. Among all these excellent shows, one stands out as the most highly regarded.

The FX series The Americans, which first aired in 2013, starred Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys as Elizabeth and Phillip Jennings. They played Soviet KGB spies who lived undercover as a married American couple in the Washington, D.C. area, specifically Falls Church. The show followed not only their espionage activities but also the challenges of raising their children in America. Created by Joe Weisberg, The Americans ran for six seasons, concluding in 2018. Due to the show’s popularity, a remake is now in development for Disney+.

The Americans Is Getting A Korean Disney+ Remake

The television series The Americans was highly praised by critics during its six seasons, consistently earning high ratings on Rotten Tomatoes (between 88% and 100%). It also received major awards, including two Peabody Awards, multiple Primetime Emmys, and a Golden Globe. Now, Disney+ is hoping to achieve similar success with a Korean adaptation of the show, featuring Lee Byung-hun (known for Squid Game and No Other Choice) and Han Ji-min (Miss Baek).

Disney+’s Korean adaptation of The Americans centers on Lee and Han, North Korean spies living undercover in South Korea during the 1990s. Similar to the characters in the original series, they pose as a typical married couple with children, adding personal complications to their dangerous mission to undermine South Korea. The show is being written and adapted by Park Eun-kyo (known for co-writing Bong Joon-ho’s Mother and the Disney+ series Made in Korea), and all episodes will be directed by Ahn Gil-ho, who previously worked on The Glory.

How A Korean-Based The Americans Remake Can Be Better Than The Original

Many consider The Americans to be one of the greatest TV shows ever made, so the Korean remake has a lot to live up to. Usually, remakes don’t measure up to the original, but this Korean version has the potential to be just as good, or even better. Because the show is set in the 1990s but deals with the ongoing division between North and South Korea, it feels surprisingly relevant even today.

The show also has the potential to explore the continuing sadness of families divided when Korea split in the 1950s, depending on how Disney+ handles the topic. This could add depth and emotional resonance, as Lee and Han’s characters might meet ordinary people whose lives were profoundly affected by the country’s division.

Everyone currently attached to The Koreans seems like a great fit, and Lee, as the lead actor, is particularly promising. He previously starred in the popular 2009 series IRIS, where he played a South Korean special forces operative who was betrayed and forced to work with North Koreans. That role offers a good preview of what audiences can expect from his performance in the upcoming Korean remake of The Americans.

The Americans is available to stream on Hulu.

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2026-03-28 19:41