'The Diplomat' Already Filming Season 3
Keri Russell in "The Diplomat" Season 2
(Photo: Netflix)
Netflix's The Diplomat is a far better series than it has any right to be due entirely to the spectacular casting. The original premise is that the new American ambassador to the U.K. struggles to keep "the special relationship" between the two countries stable as she's undermined by everything from international events beyond her control to her soon-to-be-ex-husband, also beyond her control. Now it's already filming a third season, despite the second not having arrived yet.
The series could have been a soapy, weepy melodrama; instead, it is a snappingly brilliant portrait of two ambitious people, Kate and Hal Wyler, who made the mistake of thinking marriage wouldn't also require their skillsets. As played by Keri Russell (The Americans) and Rufus Sewell (Victoria), the two are witty, sexy, and utterly hilarious, whether dealing with Iranian kidnappers or Kate beating Hal with her shoe.
Despite arriving with little marketing fanfare, Season 2 was greenlit within weeks as Season 1 took off. However, despite Netflix not having announced it yet, Season 3 has also been greenlit to take advantage of the casts' schedules aligning. According to streaming guru Kacey Moore, it quietly went into production in the weeks before Season 2's release date was revealed in August 2024. With Season 2's filming running long after 2023's strike-induced delays, Season 3 picking right up in the early summer of 2024 means the two seasons are all but filming back-to-back.
As Netflix has not released a statement confirming The Diplomat's return for a third season, there's no synopsis of what a third season will entail. (Netflix did not respond to a request for comment.) However, rumor seems that it will involve Tory campaign manager Margaret Roylin. Perhaps an inspired-by-recent-events snap election will be heading our way?
No season of The Diplomat can work without Russell and Sewell, so they will obviously return. The leading ensemble surrounding them is also expected to return for a third series, including Celia Imrie (Keeping Faith) as Meg Roylin and David Gyasi (The Sandman) as U.K. foreign secretary Austin Dennison. Also probably to return: Ali Ahn (The Other Two) as CIA station chief Eidra Park, Nana Mensah (The Chair) as White House chief of staff Billie Appiah, Miguel Sandoval as U.S. secretary of state Miguel Ganon, Michael McKean (Station 19) as U.S. president William Rayburn, and Allison Janney as Vice President Grace Penn.
The Diplomat Season 2 will arrive with six episodes on Thursday, October 31, 2024, adding to the eight episodes of Season 1 already streaming on Netflix. Season 3 is filming for a 2025/2026 release, and hopefully, Netflix will confirm the new season and returning cast in the days after Season 2 arrives.
