Keri Russell To Tangle With Politicians Again In Netflix Drama Series The Diplomat
Back when I first watched the hit FX series "The Americans," which originally aired for six stellar seasons from 2013 to 2018, I wasn't sure anyone was actually paying attention to me when I wouldn't shut up about how I could watch Keri Russell trying to balance a character's bold political ambitions with keeping a marriage afloat for as long the actor ever wanted to do roles like that. But clearly, some big decision-makers and Russell herself may have opted for the "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" strategy in the hopes of recapturing the same magic that helped turn "The Americans" into one of the best shows I've watched in years. Casting Russell in anything, obviously, is a great first step. Casting her for another political drama series? Well, that's just the icing on the cake.
Netflix is apparently eager to get into the Keri Russell business, and we don't blame them one bit. According to Variety, the streaming studio has cast the talented and three-time Emmy-winning actor (all for Outstanding Lead Actress in "The Americans" for three years in a row, naturally) as the lead for a new series that deals with vaguely similar material. Where "The Americans" centered on Russell and Matthew Rhys' Cold War espionage for the Soviets in 1980s America, Netflix's "The Diplomat" will see her in the role of the title character, presumably set during the present day. The series is described as, "...in the midst of an international crisis, a career diplomat (Russell) lands in a high-profile job she's unsuited for, with tectonic implications for her marriage and her political future."
While it's true that we're officially at a point where there are just too many interesting shows to keep track of at any given moment (a good problem to have, to be clear!), I have no choice but to clear some space ahead of time for when "The Diplomat" eventually premieres. Check out all the details below!
Keri Russell joins The Diplomat
"The Diplomat," which was ordered to series by Netflix in January of 2022 and has now added some incredible talent to the roster, comes from creator, executive producer, and showrunner Debora Cahn. Cahn has served as a staff writer on Aaron Sorkin's "The West Wing" and has also previously written for "Grey's Anatomy" and "Homeland," an extensive background that should come in handy with developing a political thriller like "The Diplomat" is shaping up to be. For the first time in the actor's career, Keri Russell will also serve as an executive producer on this new Netflix series.
Russell, of course, received widespread acclaim for her performance as the formidable Elizabeth Jennings in "The Americans," the far more patriotic and unconflicted spy between herself and Matthew Rhys' Philip Jennings (both of whom, by the way, are also a couple in real life). Russell most recently appeared in last year's horror film "Antlers" and even had a brief appearance in J.J. Abrams' "The Rise of Skywalker" as the helmeted Zorii Bliss. She's also starred in "Free State of Jones" and Matt Reeves' "Dawn of the Planet of the Apes," though she's perhaps most well-known for her lead performance in the Abrams and Reeves-created series "Felicity."
I promised myself I wouldn't use this news as an excuse to talk about "The Americans," but you couldn't go wrong heading over to Amazon Prime Video and watching (or re-watching!) the brilliant spy series if you haven't yet — merely for due diligence in preparing for "The Diplomat," of course! No premiere date has been announced yet, but we'll definitely be keeping an eye on this show.