Created by Debora Cahn – Starring Keri Russell, Rufus Sewell, Allison Janney, Bradley Whitford, Ali Ahn, Ato Essandoh, Nana Mensah, and Rory Kinnear
Ambassador Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) tries to maintain the United States’ relationship with Britain while concealing that President Grace Penn (Allison Janney) and VP Hal Wyler (Rufus Sewell) have secretly stolen a Russian weapon. As tensions with Russia rise and the British government grows increasingly suspicious, Kate finds herself trying to contain a crisis that could push the allies toward conflict.
Four seasons in, and The Diplomat is still one of the most entertaining shows on television.
It’s smart, funny, and packed with terrific performances. The show has a knack for taking some kind of global crisis, making it increasingly complicated, and then sending Kate Wyler and everyone around her scrambling to figure out how to keep it from turning into a catastrophe. Somehow, the writers keep finding new ways to twist the situation into a pretzel, and watching these characters try to untangle it makes for fantastic television.
Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell remain the heart of the show. The dialogue between Kate and Hal is fantastic, but what makes their relationship so compelling is how real it feels. They sound like a couple who have been together for years, who know exactly how to get under each other’s skin and can leave each other completely exasperated. And yet, there’s still an obvious affection between them. Russell and Sewell sell all of that so naturally.
Allison Janney is perfection as President Grace Penn. Janney is one of the finest actors working today, so I’m not exactly breaking any news here. Grace is smart, decisive, and fully aware of the position she’s in. She’s also dealing with the remnants of the previous administration, including staff members who don’t necessarily share her priorities or see things the way she does. You can feel her frustration with that situation and, at times, her contempt.
What I particularly like is that Penn doesn’t feel like a president who’s simply waiting for the people around her to tell her what to do. She has her own ideas, makes her own decisions, and understands the weight of the job. That makes her a compelling presence in a show where so many people are trying to manage a crisis while also managing everyone else’s expectations.
The season has some genuine surprises, and the show does a good job of making the stakes feel real, even when the events themselves get a little fantastical. The political maneuvering can become incredibly convoluted, but there are consequences. Decisions have an impact, people have to live with what they’ve done, and the crises don’t simply disappear because someone delivers a clever speech or comes up with one more last-minute solution. That keeps the show from becoming so unrealistic that you lose interest.
The supporting cast continues to be a big part of the fun. Bradley Whitford is always a welcome presence as Todd Penn, Grace’s husband, while Rory Kinnear’s Nicol Trowbridge remains an entertaining source of political complications. Nana Mensah’s Billie Appiah could have used more time this season. I’d have liked a little more room to explore her personal struggles, especially given how much she has to manage professionally. Ato Essandoh and Ali Ahn are both good as Stuart Hayford and Eidra Park, although their relationship feels as if it’s been circling some of the same territory for a while now. Even so, the performances remain strong across the board.
That’s the thing about The Diplomat. It can be funny without making light of everything that’s happening, and it can build a complicated political thriller without losing sight of the people caught up in it. Four seasons in, I’m still completely invested in these characters and whatever mess they’re going to have to untangle next.
TV Verdict: Golden Age TV