Every now and then, Netflix surprises us with a bonafide gem of a tv show. Not only did we get The Night Agent, but they've followed it up with another cracker in The Diplomat.
Starring Keri Russell (The Americans), Rufus Sewell, David Gyasi, Ali Ahn and Ato Essandoh (Chicago Med), The Diplomat blends drama and humour with a plot that keeps you hanging on until the credits roll on the last episode.
It's one of the most popular shows on Netflix. But what is it all about, and is it worth watching?
What Is The Diplomat About?
The show delves into the world of international diplomacy through the eyes of Kate Wyler, a US ambassador, as the career diplomat juggles her personal and professional lives.
Throughout her career, Kate has worked tirelessly to broker peace in nations torn by conflict and unrest. But in an unexpected twist, she is selected to become the US ambassador to the UK, a role she is wholly unprepared for and doesn't actually want.
Her new assignment begins in earnest when a British aircraft carrier, the HMS Courageous, is attacked off the coast of Iran, leading to multiple casualties.
Kate is dispatched to the UK to show her country's support while strengthening the long-established international relationship between the two countries.
But her professional life isn't the only thing in flux. Her personal life is thrown into disarray as well. She's decided to divorce her husband, Hal Wyler, also a fellow ambassador.
However, behind the scenes, Kate is a political star on the rise and is being considered for the vice-presidential position, a fact unknown to her. But any vice-presidential candidate must remain married, complicating Kate's situation further.
Hal, despite his professional blacklisting due to inappropriate remarks, continues to interfere in Kate's new role, seeking to leverage it for his own career advancement.
When British Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge (Rory Kinnear) seemingly blames Iran for the attack on a British vessel, the HMS Courageous, despite contradictory evidence, tensions begin to escalate.
Kate seeks Hal's advice and convinces Twobridge that a Russian mercenary group led by Roman Lenkov was behind the attack. And so begins the hunt for Lenkov, which takes Kate Wyler to Paris to broker a deal for his arrest.
Can she succeed and survive amid an international crisis, or will Trowbridge's ambitions ruin everything she has worked for?
Find out in The Diplomat!
The Diplomat Official Trailer
Is The Diplomat Worth Watching?
Two very important things make The Diplomat a success.
The first is the script. Created and written by Debora Cahn, her previous works include Homeland and The West Wing. So straight away, you know the calibre of show that awaits you. She is also an executive producer alongside Janice Williams, Keri Russell and Simon Cellan Jones.
Second is Keri Russell's powerful performance as seasoned diplomat Kate Wyler, a woman with a high profile job she neither asked for nor wanted.
Her overall demeanour is of a woman who works behind the scenes, not in front of the cameras, and she plays it to perfection.
Quick-witted, smart and with a very low tolerance for bullsh*t, this is a woman who is confident and clever but devoid of all the glitz and glamour that we normally see in these types of shows.
Juggling her turbulent marriage and the political drama that constantly surrounds her doesn't ever seem to phase her. Her focus is on doing the best job she can. She knows that, quite often, she is the smartest person in the room.
The Diplomat has finally produced a female lead that hasn't been dumbed down for the viewing audience. And we love it!
The twists and turns keep coming in The Diplomat. The story unfolds at an almost frenetic pace. Yet, it never skips a beat, has little or no plot holes, and has been so well thought out that all of the players have a part in how everything unfolds.
It is clever and well worth watching if you love a solid political drama.
The Diplomat TV Series Cast
Keri Russell as Kate Wyler, a career diplomat, political star and newly-appointed US ambassador to the UK
Rufus Sewell (Kaleidoscope) as Hal Wyler, Kate's husband and a former ambassador who struggles with his lack of a posting
David Gyasi as Austin Dennison, Foreign Secretary in the UK foreign office
Ali Ahn as Eidra Park, CIA station chief in London
Rory Kinnear as Nicol Trowbridge, Prime Minister of the UK, who is on the brink of causing an international crisis
Ato Essandoh as Stuart Hayford, deputy chief of mission of the US Embassy in London and Kate's right-hand man
Celia Imrie (Love Sarah) as Margaret Roylin, a persona non grata in the government but who still wields a lot of political influence.
Miguel Sandoval as Miguel Ganon, United States Secretary of State
Nana Mensah as Billie Appiah, White House Chief of Staff
John Schwab as Roger Post
Michael McKean as William Rayburn, President of the United States
T'Nia Miller as Cecilia Dennison, Rayburn's Chief of Staff
