Chapotraphouse

The KGB is a bunch of drug dealing r*pists who utilize Moscow's huge underclass of prostitutes to blackmail innocent, good-hearted Coca-Cola executives and then murders the prostitutes to leave no loose ends [THIS IS NOT IN ANY WAY AN EXAGGERATION]. KGB agents are wife-beating drunkards who love to neglect their children. Everyone in Moscow supports the death of prostitutes because the official party line is that they are moral failures who stain socialism. The media is not allowed to report on any systemic crime. When somebody speaks to you at the market, you begin by saying "GET AWAY CAPITALIST SCUM" before you barter, since you're always being watched. Whenever anyone says anything about Moscow, they always qualify it by mentioning that it's the worst place on earth, it sucks, they hate it there. It's unsafe to be a woman walking the streets of Moscow at night because lecherous drunks lurk on every corner. There is never sunlight. The CIA are unambiguously good guys fighting the good fight (what? why? unimportant).

I'm sure at some point they add tiny wrinkles of moral complexity to the CIA (they make George Bush senior look like an idiot in his one early appearance) but by and large this is an America Good, Soviets Evil story. I watched four episodes before I tapped out. I got that far because the set and costume design are great and the main actors do really good work and my wife and I have a big crush on Vic Michaelis.