Will The Diplomat Get A Season 2?
This post contains mild spoilers for "The Diplomat."
Amid the ongoing deluge of streaming series, people have apparently found the time to watch Netflix's "The Diplomat." As evidenced by the fact the streamer has renewed its political drama for a second season, "The Diplomat" has proven a surprise hit. The show debuted on Netflix on April 20, 2023, and snatched the top spot on the service's weekly global Top 10 TV English list. According to the streamer, the series had been viewed for a total of 57.48 million hours in its first weekend and appeared in the top 10 in 86 countries.
Netflix ordered "The Diplomat" to series back in January 2022, tapping "The Americans" star Keri Russell to front the political thriller. Russell plays Kate Wyler, a new US Ambassador to the UK, who is sent to London to try to help ease international tensions as war threatens to break out on more than one front. Meanwhile, she has to navigate the arguably more fraught relationship with her husband, former ambassador and political star, Hal Wyler (Rufus Sewell).
The Diplomat has been renewed for Season 2. pic.twitter.com/bnfaLvfoU1
— Netflix (@netflix) May 1, 2023
It all made for a surprisingly compelling show, which came to a head with a cliffhanger ending that is bound to leave anyone who made it through the season wanting more. And considering the series' stellar audience metrics, it's not surprising Netflix renewed the show just 10 days after its first season debuted.
Kate Wyler will return
Showrunner Debora Cahn, known for her work on "The West Wing" and "Homeland," managed to deliver a hit for Netflix with her tale of political intrigue and interpersonal drama. Casting Keri Russell was a masterstroke in and of itself, considering her Emmy-winning performance in "The Americans," where she also played a wife trying to keep a marriage on track while navigating the difficulties of international politics. But whereas "The Americans" focused equally on Russell and her co-star Matthew Rhys — who's now starring in HBO's gritty "Perry Mason" reboot — with "The Diplomat," she's very much front and center. And it's clearly worked.
Details on what will happen in season 2 are, as you might expect at this early stage, non-existent. When the renewal was announced, Cahn did tell Netflix, "We had such a great time making 'The Diplomat.' And it's a thrill to see how much people are enjoying it. We're so glad we get to do it again." But that's about all that's been revealed thus far.
This means we don't know just who from the ensemble cast will be returning — especially considering that literal bombshell ending which might well have killed off some of the main cast. The series also stars David Gyasi, Ali Ahn, Rory Kinnear, and Ato Essandoh, so we'll have to wait to see who out of that stellar lineup returns for the next go-round. With the first season being announced in January 2022 and released in April 2023, we can expect the new season to debut within a similar timeframe and perhaps sooner if Netflix fast-tracks its hit show.
For now, we'll await dispatches from the ambassadors at Netflix HQ.