Emmy's drama series nods could look strikingly familiar - unless there's a bold move

Three weeks after FX's Reagan-era spy drama "The Americans" was more or less ignored by Emmy voters last year (again!), the Television Critics Assn. You could view the award as a rebuke to the Television Academy or just read it at face value as a celebration of the show's artful, seamless storytelling and extraordinary acting. The question now is: Will Emmy voters remember that award, along with the Peabody that "The Americans" won last year, and finally nominate the program for drama series? As much as I'd like to think that Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields' show and its cast -- particularly leads Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys -- will finally break through for its fourth and, arguably, best season, I'm not optimistic. For this to happen, the 19,000-plus voting members of the academy (specifically, the ones who haven't been voting for "The Americans" the last three years) will probably need to know the events of its first three seasons for the current betrayals and soul-crushing disappointments to fully resonate.