The series was inspired by James Warner Bellah's 1953 novel The Valiant Virginians which was serialized in the Saturday Evening Post as Tales of the Valorous Virginians from May 9, 1953, through June 10, 1954.^[1] The novel is an arc of separate stories on the impact of the war on the young men fighting it. The series characters are Ben Canfield, who fights with the Union Army, and Jeff Canfield who fights with the Confederate Army.

The series was part of the United States' commemoration of the centennial of the beginning of the Civil War. It aired as a mid-season replacement^[2] for the canceled western series, Riverboat, starring Darren McGavin and Noah Beery, Jr., broadcast in the 7:30–8:30 p.m. timeslot on Monday evenings.

Ben Canfield was played by Darryl Hickman, older brother of actor Dwayne Hickman; Richard Davalos played Jeff Canfield; Davalos had portrayed James Dean's character's brother in East of Eden. Hickman and Davalos were the only actors who appeared in every episode of the series. Most of the supporting cast appear in only a single episode though several actors played the same role in more than one episode:

• John McIntire, just weeks prior to replacing Ward Bond on NBC's Wagon Train in the wake of Bond's sudden death, played Ben and Jeff's father, Pa Canfield.
• John Doucette as Capt. Cardiff
• Sandy Kenyon as Ritter
• Slim Pickens as Johnson
• Wynn Pearce as Bailey

Among the more well-known actors to appear in this series were the following:

Lee Marvin, Robert Redford, Jack Elam, Brian Keith, Robert Culp, Jack Lord, Michael Rennie, Nina Foch, Dan O'Herlihy, James Franciscus, Susan Oliver, Ray Walston, Lloyd Bochner, Dick York, Jackie Coogan, L. Q. Jones, and Carroll O'Connor.

Seventeen one-hour episodes were broadcast, although either twenty-one or twenty-six episodes were filmed.^[2] Episodes were written by, among others, John Gay (screenwriter for the film Run Silent Run Deep and of many television adaptions of literary classics), William D. Gordon (who also acted in at least one episode), Andy Lewis (writer of the movie Klute), Carey Wilber (writer of the Star Trek episode "Space Seed"), and Pat Falken Smith (head writer in the 1970s and 1980s for the soap operas Days of Our Lives and General Hospital). Music for the series was created by composers Bernard Herrmann and Hugo Friedhofer. Henry Steele Commager was the historical consultant.

A tie-in novel called The Americans, written by Donald Honig, was released in paperback by Popular Library publishers in 1961.^[3][4][5]

First-run episodes of the series aired January 23, 1961, through May 15, 1961; repeats aired from May 22 through September 11, 1961.

• Episode 1: Harper's Ferry (broadcast January 23, 1961)

  The Canfield family finds itself split down the middle after the Civil War breaks out when Confederate forces attack the Union arsenal at Harpers Ferry, now West Virginia.

• Episode 2: Rebellion at Blazing Rock (broadcast January 30, 1961)

  Jeff encounters two men, one Confederate and one Yankee, preparing to stage a mock battle.

  Michael Rennie played Capt. James Duquesne

  Ray Daley ... Bugler

  John Howard ... Capt. Chilcoath

  Karen Sharpe ... Louanne Higgins

  Adam Williams ... Wilcott

• Episode 3: The Regular (broadcast February 6, 1961)

  A regular-army sergeant, delivering guns to a volunteer unit, is shocked at how badly trained they are.

  Kathleen Crowley played Lucy Vickery

  Ken Drake ... Bravo

  William D. Gordon ... Lt. Barnes

  Maurice Manson ... Mayor Cahill

  William Murray ... Craigie

  Kent Smith ... Capt. Vickery

• Episode 4: The Rebellious Rose (broadcast February 13, 1961)

  The beautiful Rose Greenhow serves the Confederacy by charming susceptible Union officials into talking too much. When Jeff comes to Washington, D.C., Rose charms him into committing murder.

  Charles Aidman ... Capt. Wheeler

  Nina Foch ... Rose Greenhow

  Martin Gabel ... Tim Mayhew

• Episode 5: On to Richmond (broadcast February 20, 1961)

  Ben sees that his volunteer soldiers are not the combat professionals he needs for the upcoming Battle of First Bull Run.

  Diana Millay ... Emma Templeton

• Episode 6: Half Moon Road (broadcast February 27, 1961)

  Jeff goes deep into the backwoods to recruit sharpshooters for the Confederate army.

  James Barton ... Old Goodwin

  Enid Jaynes ... Melissa (as Enid Janes)

  Jack Lord ... Charlie Goodwin

  George Mitchell ... Preacher

• Episode 7: Reconnaissance (broadcast March 6, 1961)

  Jeff is assigned to sneak through enemy lines to gather information. He then discovers his brother Ben is among the Union soldiers stationed there.

  Diane Jergens ... Sally

  Lee Marvin ... Capt. Judd

  Don Megowan ... Lt. Fairfax

  Jan Stine ... Hollis

  Brad Weston ... Cpl. Blackburn

• Episode 8: The Escape (broadcast March 13, 1961)

  Col. Fry and Ben are captured and sent to the Confederate POW camp at Libby Prison.

  Dayton Lummis ... Maj. Turner

  Dan O'Herlihy ... Col. Fry

• Episode 9: The Guerrillas (broadcast March 20, 1961)

  A band of guerrillas lays siege to a town torn apart by the war.

  Norman Alden ... Paine

  Robert Culp ... Finletter

  Cyril Delevanti ... Canfield

  Berry Kroeger ... Keezer

  Paul Lambert ... Hudson

  Strother Martin ... Wadd

  Sonya Wilde ... Caroline

• Episode 10: The Invaders (broadcast March 27, 1961)

  After a Union force takes over a Confederate town, its captain orders the Confederate flag taken down. Outraged, an elderly resident of the town fires at him.

  Steve Brodie ... Sgt. Rafer

  Myrna Fahey ... Ruth

  James Franciscus ... Lt. Hannon

  Frank Gerstle ... Capt. Bice

  Ian Wolfe ... Sever

• Episode 11: The Gun (broadcast April 3, 1961)

  Jeff is ordered to capture Union cannons.

  Robert Carlyle ... Sergeant

  Lonny Chapman ... Chester Longbaugh

  Jack Elam ... Loper Johnson

  Susan Oliver ... Rachel

• Episode 12: The Sentry (broadcast April 10, 1961)

  Three Confederates are assigned to sabotage an important railroad trestle.

  Ben Cooper ... Ward Roberts

  Robert Hastings ... Lieutenant

  Brian Keith ... Owen

  Judson Pratt ... Sgt. Willers

• Episode 13: The Bounty Jumpers (broadcast April 17, 1961)

  Ben goes undercover to gather evidence on a criminal ring that specializes in phony recruits.

  Larry Gates ... Maj. Eustice Cary

  Anne Helm ... Dulcie Morrow

  Gene Lyons ... Col. Elgin

  Murvyn Vye ... Police Lieutenant

  Ray Walston ... Whit Bristow

• Episode 14: Long Way Back (broadcast April 24, 1961)

  A group of Missouri farmers capture Jeff.

  Patricia Barry ... Jessica

  Charles Bickford ... Peterson

  Ron Nicholas ... Scout

  Walter Sande ... Jayhawker

• Episode 15: The War Between the States (broadcast May 1, 1961)

  Ben is worried when his best friend falls for a Confederate girl.

  Lloyd Bochner ... Lt. Brady

  Lisabeth Hush ... Rebel girl

  John McGiver ... Col. Allen

  Lurene Tuttle ... Mrs. Allen

  Dick York ... Bolick

• Episode 16: The Coward (broadcast May 8, 1961)

  A soldier convicted of cowardice under fire and sentenced to death has his execution delayed. However, two of the soldiers in his company are determined to see the sentence carried out, even if they have to do it themselves.

  Jackie Coogan ... Rowe

  L.Q. Jones ... Yonts

  Carroll O'Connor ... Capt. Garbor

  Robert Redford ... George Harrod

• Episode 17: The Inquisitors (broadcast May 15, 1961)

  The U.S. Congress wants answers about some disastrous battle results for the Union Army.

  Robert Gist ... Gen. Charles P. Stone

  Marsha Hunt ... Jeanie Stone

  Robert Middleton ... U.S. Senator Benjamin Wade of Ohio

• The Americans at IMDb  
• The Americans (1961) at Television Obscurities