TV’s Best Political Thriller Returns With An Audacious, Jaw-Dropping Installment

If Keri Russell and Debora Cahn wanted to make one season of The Diplomat every year for the rest of their lives, I think we should let them. Season 3 is proof positive that they can do it — and do it well.

Coming out of an era where political dramas were a dime a dozen and few did much to break the mold, it is shockingly refreshing when a show comes along and makes geopolitics feel exciting, real, and competently executed. I am more than happy to report that The Diplomat Season 3 is all of those things and more.

I cannot pretend that this show is just now hitting its stride when, in reality, the series has always been an entertaining and witty look at the complicated life of U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Kate Wyler (Russell). What the show is now catching onto, I believe, is the rare ability to balance Kate’s personal and professional with such ease. It’s a trap that many a political drama has fallen victim to in the past, yet somehow, The Diplomat makes it look like child’s play.

After a shocking end to the second season with the sudden death of President Rayburn (Michael McKean), Season 3 picks up with U.S. Vice President Grace Penn (Allison Janney) taking over as Commander in Chief, much to the dismay of Kate and Hal (Rufus Sewell), who know that it was Penn’s idea to order the attack on the HMS Courageous. It was also revealed that Penn worked with Meg Roylin (Celia Imrie) to make it look like the Russians were responsible for the incident that killed dozens of British sailors.

Without getting too into spoilers, I will say that the show does everything in its power to subvert the expectations of the viewers who think they know what comes next in Season 3. It would be easy for The Diplomat to set up a season of warring between Hal, Kate, and now-President Grace Penn, but as Season 2 teed up, a new VP pick is needed, even if the president is a different one than the one Kate was auditioning for in the prior installment.

That is just one of the things that makes The Diplomat not only the most thrilling political drama on television, but the most cunning, as well. From start to finish, all eight episodes breeze by with alacrity as Cahn makes a compelling argument about the way that we interact with our allies and adversaries, both on a global scale and on a much more molecular level. Smartly, the series avoids the pitfall of series that came before, somehow ensuring that 24 episodes centered around the same political issue can still be interesting.

In keeping the story focused on the attack of the HMS Courageous, albeit different aspects of the lead-up and the aftermath, The Diplomat becomes a masterclass in storytelling and keeping the audience interested, even in the face of a story that should feel played out. At no point, however, will viewers reach for the remote to turn off the show as the gripping narrative involving the professional and personal struggles of the titular character digs it claws into you and does not let go. It’s a shock that this show keeps hitting the bullseye season after season and still remains largely unnoticed by audiences who complain about a lack of compelling TV.

There’s also the matter of Season 3’s inclusion of Bradley Whitford, a casting that initially felt like a stunt intended to appease nostalgic fans of The West Wing. I get it, we’re all desperate to get a fix of that feel-good political energy, but if I can be completely honest, a part of me initially rolled my eyes at the thought of Whitford stepping in to play Todd Penn, the husband of Janney’s character.

Reader, I am thrilled to admit that my first instinct was wrong. WAY wrong. Not only does Cahn, whose IMDB page reports The West Wing as one of her earliest writing gigs, expertly weave in Whitford’s FGOTUS character — side note: what a horrible acronym — but writes for him in a way that feels so lived in and experienced. Upon watching even a brief scene, it’s easy to understand why this show pulled in an ace like Whitford to not only deliver a quiet and powerful performance, but a necessary and comfortable dynamic with Janney. These two have it and they always have.

Whitford’s casting speaks not only to the care and consideration that goes into each role, but the time and effort put into every aspect of one of the best shows on television. The Diplomat remains on top, even if its primary protagonist lives in a constant state of crisis. It’s disheartening that everyone and their mother is not watching this show. Their loss.

The Diplomat Season 3 is now streaming on Netflix.

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