Our First Look at 'The Diplomat' Season 3 Introduces the First Gentleman
Rufus Sewell, Allison Janney, Bradley Whitford, and Kerri Russell in "The Diplomat" Season 3
(Photo: Netflix)
They say that truth is stranger than fiction. It's not entirely clear that that's still true in the year of our Lord 2025, if only because the events depicted in shows like Netflix's The Diplomat don't feel entirely all that far-fetched these days, even if its stars are usually better looking then their real-life counterparts.
The series follows the story of Kate Wyler (Kerri Russell), the freshly appointed American ambassador to the United Kingdom, who must handle a deadly international incident within days of taking on the job. Her situation is further complicated by ongoing tensions in her marriage to Hal (Rufus Sewell), who is a well-known diplomat in his own right and not used to keeping his professional advice to himself.
The Diplomat Season 2 ended in chaos. It was revealed that American Vice President Grace Penn (Allison Janney) was behind the idea to bomb the H.M.S. Courageous in an attempt to prevent another vote on Scottish independence. This bit of light treason is the final push Kate needs to declare that she's ready to be vice president herself. Unfortunately, the untimely death of President Rayburn (thanks, Hal!) means that Grace is now President Penn, and all the Wylers' big plans for Kate's future are ashes.
But, if the new first look images from the third season are anything to go by, the Penns aren't necessarily holding grudges about everything that went down. Or they're all very good liars. (Maybe both?) Released as part of the streamer's Next on Netflix event, the trio of photos also introduce now-President Penn's husband Todd.
Kerri Russell and Rufus Sewell in "The Diplomat" Season 3
(Photo: Netflix)
Allison Janney and Bradley Whitford in "The Diplomat" Season 3
(Photo: Netflix)
In a reunion that is sure to delight fans of The West Wing, Todd Penn is played by none other than Bradley Whitford, who starred as Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman opposite Janney's press secretary C.J. Cregg for seven seasons. This probably shouldn't be all that surprising given that The Diplomat creator Debora Cahn was a writer on the popular NBC series for four years. (It's probably also the reason that there's so much walking and talking happening on this show.)
The Diplomat Season 3 is currently filming in and around New York. The plot of the upcoming episodes is being kept under wraps, though one must assume that the question of how willing the Wylers' are to keep Grace's secret— and what the new president might be willing to do to them to ensure that fact — will play a significant role.
Other members of the series cast include David Gyasi (Carnival Row) as U.K. foreign secretary Austin Dennison, Ali Ahn (The Other Two) as CIA station chief Eidra Park, and Nana Mensah (The Chair) as White House chief of staff Billie Appiah.
Cahn will once again serve as showrunner on Season 3. She and Russell also executive produce alongside Janice Wiliams, Alex Graves, and Peter Noah.
The Diplomat Seasons 1 and 2 are currently streaming on Netflix.
