“The Diplomat” will serve under a new “terribly flawed” president when she returns this October for Season 3.
Netflix’s political drama series, starring Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell, is set to return Oct. 16, the streamer announced Monday. Along with its official return, the platform shared a new teaser for what’s ahead for Kate Wyler and the gang as vice president Grace Penn (Allison Janney) assumes the presidency — following her predecessor’s untimely death at the end of last season.
“A terribly flawed woman is now the president, and only we know just how flawed,” Kate (Russell) says to her husband Hal (Sewell) in a new teaser trailer featuring Grace taking the oath of office. We also get a glimpse of how Grace’s husband Todd (Bradley Whitford) reacts to her newfound position.
Perhaps the most interesting tidbit is a hint at a new role for Kate at the White House, when Hal tells Kate he’ll be able to keep an eye on her at the White House at all times — despite her current position as the U.S. ambassador to the U.K.
We last saw the embattled power couple in the Season 2 finale, after a confrontation between Kate and Grace was interrupted by the secret service swarming toward Grace. Hal then delivered the news that the current president had died in the middle of a conversation between the two of them, in which Hal shared Grace’s involvement in an attack in the U.K.. Now Grace will hold the most powerful office in the world, and only Kate has the information to keep her at bay.
The official logline for Season 3 is as follows: “Ambassador Kate Wyler (Russell) lives the particular nightmare that is getting what you want. She just accused Vice President Grace Penn (Janney) of hatching a terrorist plot and admitted she’s after the VP’s job. But now the president is dead, Kate’s husband Hal (Sewell) may have inadvertently killed him, and Grace Penn is leader of the free world. None of this slows Hal’s campaign to land Kate the vice presidency. Kate steps into a role she never wanted, with a freedom she never expected, an increasingly complicated friendship with Foreign Secretary Austin Dennison (David Gyasi), and an unnerving bond with First Gentleman Todd Penn (Whitford).”
Check out the teaser below:
“The Diplomat” is created by Debora Cahn, who serves as an executive producer alongside Russell, Janice Williams and Alex Graves. The show has already been renewed for Season 4.
Season 1 premiered in April 2023, becoming Netflix’s most-viewed title in its first two weeks, reaching the Top 10 in 87 countries and generating 173.46 million hours viewed in the four weeks following its premiere. Season 2 premiered in October 2024 and spent four weeks in the global Top 10 and reached the Top 10 in 70 countries.
