Between The Night Agent And The diplomat, it’s been a good year for light-hearted, plot-heavy Netflix political thriller series. The former was a huge hit for the streaming service and quickly renewed, and now the latter has picked up a second season as well, Netflix announced Monday.
In the diplomat, Keri Russell stars as Kate Wyler, a career diplomat preparing for a tough but exciting assignment in Afghanistan. She is told at the last minute that she will instead be appointed as the new US ambassador to the United Kingdom – partly because of a terrorist plot involving the blowing up of a British ship, but also because of the schemes of her devious husband, Hal ( Rufus Sewell), another diplomat.
Created by The West wing And Native countryfrom Deborah Cahn, The diplomat is twisty and full of fast-paced political intrigue, ending with an absolutely shocking revelation that the second season will no doubt spend a lot of time unpacking. But the show really works because of the performances of the two leads.
Photo: Alex Bailey/Netflix
Russell, who also co-produces, has previously anchored political thriller shows, including FX’s fantastic series The Americans, bringing an exuberant energy to the highly skilled and sometimes over-enthusiastic Kate. She has an antagonistic (but often supportive) relationship with her husband and is very resistant to her new job, usually reserved for American businessmen who get the post in return for their financial support from politicians. It’s an adjustment for everyone involved: she’s not used to the ceremony of the role, while the people who support her aren’t used to an ambassador who really takes the job seriously.
Sewell is also great as her troublesome husband, alternately supportive and scheming, and their complicated relationship occasionally lends a sense of playfulness to the plot-rich series.
“I’m thrilled to be back for another round of this clever screwball show. Dare I say it’s fun?” Russell said in a statement. “Thank you Netflix for giving us another chance.”
says Netflix The diplomat had 57.48 million hours watched and was in the Top 10 in 86 different countries during its first weekend on the platform. It is not yet known when season 2 will premiere.