The Diplomat Season 3 was recently confirmed on Netflix, yet news on the project remains scarce.
Set in the world of international politics, The Diplomat's gripping plot follows Keri Russell's Kate Wyler as she gets swept up in a border-hopping conspiracy after being appointed the U.S. ambassador to the UK.
Season 2 upped the action from The Diplomat's inaugural series, putting Kate at the center of a plot to potentially bring the English government down by the American Vice President Grace Penn.
When Will The Diplomat Season 3 Come Out?
The Diplomat Season 2 only just made its debut on Netflix, but Season 3 is already on the way.
In the wake of Season 2's release, Netflix confirmed a third season of the hit political thriller.
In the announcement post, series creator, showrunner, and executive producer Debora Cahn remarked that Season 3 will "[flip] the chessboard," revealing that production on the series was already underway in New York and London.
In fact, production may be all underway, if rumors surrounding the series are to be believed. In August 2024, it was reported by What's On Netflix that filming on the project had already begun, with the word being it had started production several months earlier in June.
If that is the case, and The Diplomat Season 3 quietly started shooting in June, then production could be further along than some may have thought (meaning it could be released sooner than expected).
Season 2 took roughly a year and a half between its announcement and release. That production pipeline was hindered though with the 2023 Hollywood actors' and writers' strikes shutting down work on the series mid-way through development.
Should the third season move forward without any major interruptions, fans may see The Diplomat Season 3 as soon as late 2025.
Who Is Cast in The Diplomat Season 3?
Heading into The Diplomat Season 3, fans can expect much of the show's now-iconic cast to return.
Leading the way will, of course, again be Keri Russell's titular government official, Kate Wyler. Thus far, the series has put Kate through the wringer. From being forced into the role of U.S. ambassador to the UK, to watching some of her closest friends and colleagues die (rest in peace, Ronnie), Kate's time in England has been anything but uneventful.
Joining Kate in Season 3 will also likely be her former diplomat husband, Hal (Rufus Sewell), the English Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge (Rory Kinnear), and many others.
One character who will seemingly be getting even more time in the spotlight in the next batch of episodes is Allison Janney's U.S. Vice President Grace Penn, as she assumes the role of president following the shocking death of President William Rayburn (Michael McKean).
A full expected cast list for The Diplomat Season 3 can be seen below:
- Kate Wyler - Keri Russell
- Hal Wyler - Rufus Sewell
- Austin Dennison - David Gyasi
- Eidra Park - Ali Ahn
- Nicol Trowbridge - Rory Kinnear
- Stuart Hayford - Ato Essandoh
- Grace Penn - Allison Janney
- Margaret Roylin - Celia Imrie
What Will Happen in The Diplomat Season 3?
While Season 1 ended with a literal bomb going off heading into Season 2, The Diplomat's second batch of episodes came to a close with an explosive finale of a different kind.
As much of the series up to this point has focused on who exactly has been behind a series of mysterious (and oddly suspicious) attacks on British assets like a U.K. warship and some parliamentarians themselves (like Simon Chandler's Merritt Grove), that is no longer the case.
Season 2 saw both audiences and characters like Keri Russell's Kate Wyler finally uncovering the depth of the conspiracy that went on behind these devastating political events.
It turns out, that the British government was using these attacks to put the blame on some foreign power and hopefully unite a skeptical and increasingly dissenting voting public.
And, on top of that, this was a plan originally devised by U.S. Vice President Grace Penn, who has been revealed to have meddled with the foreign superpower (something that could mean grave consequences with it were to get out).
Season 2 came to a close with U.S. President William Rayburn tragically dying after discovering Vice President Penn's role in the attacks, meaning she is now the acting president.
Heading into Season 3, Penn's new role in the Oval Office will be key. Long have whispers of Kate's potential Vice Presidential run been heard in The Diplomat Season 1 and 2.
With the last few episodes of the show's sophomore effort seeing Penn cozying up to Kate, Season 3 will seemingly finally see her take the seat and officially become Vice President Wyler.
Series creator Debora Cahn teased in an interview with Deadline that Season 3 will be all about Penn's rise to president and how everyone reacts to it.
When asked what President Rayburn's death means for Kate's character going forward and her ambitions of taking over as Vice President, Cahn simply said, "Welcome to Season 3."
She also hinted that Kate and Hal's relationship will be put to the test in Season 3, asking the question, "Can union endure under [these] circumstances:"
Q: "So, is [Hal's] culpability in the death of the president and Grace Penn’s ascension [Kate's] last straw?"
CAHN: "These are Season 3 spoilers! Can union endure under those circumstances? I don’t know."
The Diplomat Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.
