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We have lots to get to after that explosive ending
Fans of Keri Russell and The Americans found a new twisty political thriller to love when The Diplomat dropped on Netflix in April 2023. In the drama series, Russell stars as Kate Wyler, a U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom who must juggle international crises and her marriage to Hal (played by Rufus Sewell), who was once an ambassador himself.
Throughout the eight episodes of the first season of The Diplomat, the drama builds and leaves the audience on a cliffhanger. Fans who watched the series and were left with more questions than answers may be wondering: Will there be a second season of The Diplomat?
The good news: Yes, there will be a Diplomat Season 2. Below, we will answer all the questions we can about the sophomore season: when it will premiere, who will appear, what to expect from Season 2, and more.
More on Netflix:
Keri Russell, The Diplomat
NetflixSeason 1 of The Diplomat premiered on April 20, 2023; in the show's first weekend, it took the No. 1 spot on Netflix's weekly global Top 10 TV English list. After being on the streaming platform for less than a month, The Diplomat was renewed for a second season on May 1.
"We had such a great time making The Diplomat," said Debora Cahn, creator and showrunner for the series, "it's a thrill to see how much people are enjoying it. We're so glad we get to do it again!"
The Diplomat was just renewed in May 2023, so a premiere date for Season 2 has not yet been set. However, there were roughly 15 months between the series being greenlit by Netflix in January 2022 and premiering in April 2023. If production follows a similar timeline, The Diplomat Season 2 could drop on Netflix around August 2024, but that timing could be affected by the writers' strike.
The first season of The Diplomat was filmed predominantly in the United Kingdom — but if the location changes for Season 2 (which could happen depending on the future of Kate's diplomatic position), that could also impact the release date.
The eighth and final episode of The Diplomat Season 1 ended on a cliffhanger. Season 1 spoilers follow.
The entire first season sees Russell's character, Kate, attempting to make allies and uncover who blew up a British aircraft carrier off the coast of Iran. In the final minutes of the season finale, the audience learns that the person behind the attack was none other than British Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge (played by Rory Kinnear).
But that's not the only twist: Moments before the season wraps, viewers find out that Trowbridge ordered a second attack. This explosive ending has fans wondering if Sewell's Hal, embassy deputy chief Stuart Hayford (Ato Essandoh), office clerk Ronnie (Jess Chanliau), and MP Merritt Grove survived or not.
Season 2 of The Diplomat will likely explore what happened following the second explosion, who died, and what these revelations will mean for Kate's future — both professionally and personally.
David Gyasi, who plays Austin Dennison, foreign secretary of the U.K., told Tudum that he hopes Season 2 will expand upon the relationship between Austin and Kate. "I'm just excited to see what that relationship [becomes]," Gyasi said. "They're so opposite to one another, and yet, when you scratch the surface, [you see] what drives them [and they're] probably more connected to one another than a lot of other characters."
Given the explosive cliffhanger ending of Season 1, we're not entirely sure who will return except for some of the main players, like Keri Russell's Kate and David Gyasi's Austin, who weren't near the second attack.
We loved Season 1 of The Diplomat. Reviewer Kyle Fowle adored Russell's performance and the tight plotting, even if the final twist wasn't his cup of tea. Read Kyle's review here, in which he also comments on the cliffhanger ending.
Season 1 of The Diplomat is available to stream on Netflix.