The Diplomat (American TV series)


The Diplomat is an American political thriller television series created by Debora Cahn. First airing in 2023, it stars Keri Russell as a veteran U.S. diplomat who is unexpectedly appointed as the ambassador to the United Kingdom amid an emerging international crisis.
The series premiered on Netflix on April 20, 2023. In October 2024, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on October 16, 2025. In May 2025, the series was renewed for a fourth season.
The Diplomat has received critical acclaim for its writing, pacing, and performances, particularly those of Russell, Sewell and Allison Janney. At the 77th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2025, the series was nominated for Outstanding Drama Series. Russell has been nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards.
The show has been praised for its nuanced portrayal of foreign policy and the often invisible work of diplomacy, as well as its character-driven storytelling that blends political intrigue with personal drama.

Premise

The series centers on Kate Wyler, the new US ambassador to the United Kingdom, as she helps to defuse an international crisis, forges strategic alliances and adjusts to her new place in the spotlight. She also manages her deteriorating marriage to fellow career diplomat Hal Wyler.

Cast

Main

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2023)

Season 2 (2024)

Season 3 (2025)

Production

In January 2022, Netflix announced it had given a series order to The Diplomat from creator Debora Cahn. In February of that year, it was announced Keri Russell would star in the series. In March, it was announced Ali Ahn and Rufus Sewell had joined the cast. In April 2022, David Gyasi, Ato Essandoh, Rory Kinnear, Miguel Sandoval, Nana Mensah, Michael McKean, Celia Imrie and Penny Downie joined the cast. The series was released on April 20, 2023.
Filming took place at a range of locations in the United Kingdom. In London, producers obtained permission to film inside the American embassy in Nine Elms, and the Foreign Office in Westminster, including The Durbar Court and the Foreign Secretary's office. Outside of London, Wrotham Park in Hertfordshire doubled as Winfield House, the residence of the US Ambassador to the United Kingdom, while Ditchley Park, Oxfordshire was used to represent Chevening, the foreign secretary's country residence in Kent. Filming also took place at the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich, and Cotswold Airport, Gloucestershire. A number of scenes were filmed within London North Studios, located in Mill Hill, north west London, where sets for The Oval Office and US Embassy are located. Filming also took place in Paris, France, at the Palais-Royal and the Louvre, including the latter's Pyramid and Escalier Daru.
On May 1, 2023, Netflix renewed the series for a second season. Filming for season 2 began in June 2023 with locations including St Paul's Cathedral. Other filming locations included the Old Royal Naval College, One Great George Street, Inveraray Castle, Ardkinglas, RAF Halton, Wilton House and Blenheim Palace. In January 2024, it was announced that Allison Janney had been cast as US Vice President Grace Penn for season two. The second season was released on October 31, 2024. On October 10, 2024, ahead of the second season's premiere, Netflix renewed the series for a third season. On January 24, 2025, Bradley Whitford was cast as Todd Penn, the husband of Janney's Grace Penn, for the third season. The third season premiered on October 16, 2025.
On May 14, 2025, ahead of the third season's premiere, Netflix renewed the series for a fourth season. Following the renewal it was reported that Janney, Whitford, and Mensah would be promoted to series regulars for the fourth season.

Title conflict

The choice of title reportedly caused frustration among the British producers of a Barcelona-set series also titled The Diplomat, which was announced in early 2020 and began airing in the UK two months before the Netflix series. Neither party has indicated a willingness to change the title to avoid confusion.

Reception

Critical response

Season 1

reported an 84% approval rating with an average rating of 7.7/10 based on 57 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Keri Russell's scrappy performance negotiates the best possible terms for The Diplomat, a soapy take on statecraft that manages to make geopolitical crises highly bingeable entertainment." Metacritic assigned a score of 74 out of 100 based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
Julian Borger wrote in The Guardian that there "is a fair amount to be incredulous about", with Netflix having "taken a lot of liberties to keep The Diplomat racing along like a thriller." However, "for all the dramatic licence taken with the plot and characters", the producers "made sure they got at least some of the details absolutely right." He argued that "most current and former diplomats were ready to overlook the impurities" and were appreciative that diplomacy was being "given its moment under the bright lights." Nevertheless, Borger noted that some felt that the series was a "missed opportunity" that "carries on a long tradition of shows that put a foreign policy focus in the title, and then veer completely off into something that has nothing or little to do with actual diplomacy."
The Evening Standard described the first series as "an interesting take on the time-honoured political drama" that "doesn't reach the lofty heights of The West Wing but "does have a refreshing lack of the moral high ground." The Radio Times was more critical, calling it a "simplistic, bland, and easily digestible political drama" that "isn't particularly thrilling or complex" and "never feels particularly high stakes."
Meanwhile, the Financial Times lamented that the series "spurns the opportunity to provide a considered look at international relations in favour of a generic and improbably-plotted yarn" and "lacks delicacy and nuance." The paper described it as "so exaggerated that it has little to say about actual statecraft and so dry and insistently talky that it struggles to entertain."

Season 2

Rotten Tomatoes reported a 96% approval rating with an average rating of 8.0/10 based on 46 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Maintaining explosive momentum with Keri Russell as the arresting eye of the storm, The Diplomats sophomore season solidifies it as among television's most entertaining dramas." Metacritic assigned a score of 76 out of 100 based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
The Guardian was enthusiastic about the second season, calling it "several great shows all at once" and concluding that "The Diplomat should slot effortlessly into any list of the best dramas of the year."

Season 3

Rotten Tomatoes reported a 97% approval rating based on 30 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Elevating both the geopolitical and personal stakes while remembering to have fun, The Diplomat goes from strength to strength throughout its dishy third season."
Metacritic assigned a score of 84 out of 100 based on 14 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
Varietys Alison Herman praised the third season and wrote, "In Season 3, The Diplomat recommits to this core mission, a pivot that pays dividends."

Accolades

Viewership

Season 1 featured in the global Netflix top 10s for four weeks, picking up 173.46 million hours watched. The season featured in the Nielsen top 10 charts for two weeks in the US picking up 44.90 million hours watched.