---
title: "The Diplomat"
year: 2023
kind: "series"
canonical: "https://film.one/tv/the-diplomat"
fi1m_id: "the-diplomat"
imdb_id: "tt17491088"
tmdb_id: 203857
wikidata_id: "Q117425241"
fi1m_score: 76
critics_score: 73
critics_reviews: 6
published: "2026-09-11"
updated: "2026-09-15T21:38:44.936611+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# The Diplomat (2023)

Created by Debora Cahn · MPA TV-MA · Drama, War & Politics

## Identity

The Diplomat

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/tv/the-diplomat
- **Type:** Series
- **Fi1m ID:** the-diplomat
- **IMDb ID:** tt17491088
- **TMDB ID:** 203857
- **Wikidata ID:** Q117425241
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt17491088/, https://www.themoviedb.org/tv/203857, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q117425241

**Fi1m score: 76** · Critics 73 from 6 reviews

*In a sentence:* The ambassador’s husband could make a seating plan into a diplomatic incident

> *The Diplomat* is good company when Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell are making each other’s lives difficult. The politics need more scrutiny than the series gives them, but the prickly relationships earn another episode.

## Synopsis

Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) becomes the US ambassador to the UK, taking on a job in which personal relationships complicate official business. Her husband, Hal (Rufus Sewell), is part of that complication. British counterparts include Foreign Secretary Austin Dennison (David Gyasi) and Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge (Rory Kinnear). The series follows Kate through negotiations and workplace disputes while her marriage demands attention of its own. Alongside the Wylers are Eidra Park (Ali Ahn) and Stuart Hayford (Ato Essandoh), in a political drama concerned with the people conducting diplomacy and the relationships between them.

## Review

*The Diplomat* is an enjoyable political drama whose strongest reason to keep watching is Keri Russell. As Kate Wyler, the new US ambassador to the UK, she gives the business of talking to people a welcome sense of effort and impatience. The series wants diplomacy to be entertaining without pretending that the people conducting it leave their private troubles outside the office. It succeeds often enough to recommend, provided the appeal lies in the difficult people doing the negotiating.

Debora Cahn’s writing makes conversation the main event, with characters continually trying to establish what someone else means and what they stand to gain. Russell is good at keeping those exchanges from becoming demonstrations of cleverness: her Kate seems to have work to finish. The dialogue moves quickly enough to make the professional vocabulary manageable. There is satisfaction in following an argument between people who understand the job, even when the programme has simplified the job to help us follow it.

Rufus Sewell’s Hal, Kate’s husband, supplies the more troublesome conversations. We laughed at their squabbling, because Russell and Sewell make it sound like an argument that has been going on for years. They suggest two people who know which remark will annoy the other and cannot quite resist making it. The chemistry gives the workplace plotting a personal cost that the international manoeuvring sometimes struggles to establish. A private disagreement can hold our attention without another explanation of why the situation matters.

The cinematography credited to Philipp Blaubach, Julian Court and Giorgio Scali keeps all that talking easy to watch, particularly when conversations continue on the move. The polished images lend the offices an importance the writing occasionally takes for granted. Production designers Jeff Tessler, Curt Beech and Chris Roope give the officials convincing places to work, without making the surroundings more interesting than the actors. That restraint helps a drama in which a change of expression often deserves more attention than the set.

The editors, including Agnès Challe-Grandits, Gary Levy, Ken Eluto and Matthew S. Nickelson, give the exchanges enough pace to stop the explanations feeling like homework. They also help the series move between official business and domestic friction without repeatedly starting again. The music credited to Nathan Barr, Dimitri Smith and Marcelo Zarvos encourages that forward motion, although the extra urgency sometimes feels unearned. The pace remains engaging even when the reasons for concern are vague.

The weakness is the politics. David Gyasi plays Foreign Secretary Austin Dennison and Rory Kinnear plays Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge, but the British side too often exists to give Kate someone to outthink. That makes her competence easy to enjoy and the international dispute harder to believe. The changes of tone also ask us to become anxious about circumstances the programme has just encouraged us to find faintly ridiculous.

Political thrillers need to make the consequences of a bad decision feel real, and *The Diplomat* is inconsistent about that. Its fluent conversations and actors are enough to carry an evening, though a taste for office melodrama will help considerably. Try it for Russell and Sewell; do not expect them to teach a reliable course in diplomacy.

*Fi1m score 76, published 11 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics find The Diplomat an entertaining political drama, with praise clustering around Keri Russell’s lead performance, brisk dialogue and the interplay between diplomacy and personal relationships. Russell and Rufus Sewell’s chemistry gives the central marriage much of its appeal, while the supporting cast helps keep the workplace manoeuvring lively. The more enthusiastic reviews value its accessibility and pace, finding that office melodrama makes government business engaging without making it look noble.

The reservations concern how much weight the politics and plotting can bear. Several reviews find the international affairs unconvincing, the stakes weak or the tone uneven, even when the characters remain enjoyable company. Radio Times calls the drama simplistic and bland but credits the performances with keeping it entertaining; Collider finds Russell stronger than the shaky dramatic developments around her. The spread runs from enthusiasm to qualified enjoyment, with disagreement chiefly over how far the stars compensate for the writing.

## Straight answers

**Is The Diplomat worth watching?**

*The Diplomat* is worth watching for anyone who enjoys quick, prickly conversations between difficult people, and we scored it 76. Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell make a marriage that has been arguing for years sound like one, which carries the series. The politics are thinner than the performances, so a taste for office melodrama will help more than an interest in diplomacy.

**How long is The Diplomat, and what is it rated?**

*The Diplomat* is rated TV-MA by the MPA in the US. It is a drama and war & politics series.

**Where can I watch The Diplomat in the US?**

*The Diplomat* is streaming on Netflix in the US. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is The Diplomat, and is it suitable for children?**

*The Diplomat* carries a UK 15 certificate, so it is not intended for children, though its concerns are adult in tone rather than in violence. The series is built on talk: negotiations, workplace disputes and a quarrelsome marriage. Younger children would find little to frighten them and less to hold them; older teenagers with a taste for political drama may manage it.

**How does The Diplomat compare to Borgen?**

*The Diplomat* is the livelier and more playful of the two, and [*Borgen*](https://film.one/tv/borgen) the more serious and the more intelligent about how politics actually works. Both follow compromises home, but the Danish series makes its consequences feel real, while the American one asks us to worry about situations it has just made faintly ridiculous. Choose *Borgen* for substance and *The Diplomat* for the squabbling.

**What should I watch after The Diplomat?**

After *The Diplomat*, try [*Borgen*](https://film.one/tv/borgen) (2010, Fi1m 84): For political compromises that follow their makers home and stay there. Then [*The Thick of It*](https://film.one/tv/the-thick-of-it) (2005, Fi1m 94): For government offices where every conversation creates another problem to manage; and [*The Lives of Others*](https://film.one/film/the-lives-of-others) (2006, Fi1m 84): For a sterner account of political power intruding on private lives.

### Reviews we read (10)

- **IndieWire**, Ben Travers (B+): The series is a slick, hypnotic political thriller that excels through sharp dialogue and walk-and-talk energy rather than action. It blends political parlance with office melodrama effectively, keeping viewers engaged without idealizing government work. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/2023/04/diplomat-review-keri-russell-netflix-series-politics-1234829122/)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Daniel Fienberg (80/100, inferred): Keri Russell anchors a smart, diverting political drama that's accessible and well-crafted in its depiction of diplomacy and relationships, though the plot stretches thin. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/the-diplomat-review-keri-russell-netflix-1235391549/)
- **The i Paper**, Emily Baker (80/100, inferred): The critic finds it pacy, involving and charming, a strong political drama with zippy dialogue and focus on female power dynamics, though not quite The West Wing. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/television/diplomat-netflix-review-political-drama-new-west-wing-close-2283339)
- **Variety**, Emily Tannenbaum (70/100, inferred): It's a soapy workplace drama rather than gritty thriller, entertaining with great chemistry between leads, but lacks consistent tone and high stakes in the plot. [Read](https://variety.com/2023/tv/reviews/the-diplomat-review-keri-russell-rufus-sewell-netflix-1235587814/)
- **Radio Times**, James Hibbs (3/5): The critic calls it simplistic and bland but entertaining due to strong performances, especially Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell, with focus on character relationships over deep politics. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/the-diplomat-netflix-review/)
- **Evening Standard**: The critic calls the show an interesting take on the political drama genre that juggles kidnappings, funerals and political infighting at a good pace, though it falls short of The West Wing. Strong supporting characters and the central marriage dynamic are singled out as highlights. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/the-diplomat-on-netflix-review-keri-russell-b1074919.html)
- **The Guardian**: The critic praises Keri Russell’s lead performance as the new US ambassador to the UK in this glossy political thriller, comparing her favourably to Martin Sheen in The West Wing. After a slow start the series becomes hugely enjoyable, with strong support from the cast including Rufus Sewell. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/apr/20/the-diplomat-review-this-political-dramas-star-is-as-great-as-martin-sheen-in-the-west-wing)
- **The Telegraph**, Anita Singh: The review describes the series as a semi-enjoyable mix of Homeland and Emily in Paris that features plenty of Britain-bashing, with Keri Russell’s ambassador saving the day from incompetent British politicians. Rufus Sewell’s husband character provides much of the fun amid the glossy nonsense. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2023/04/19/the-diplomat-netflix-review-homeland-meets-emily-in-paris/)
- **Collider**, Chase Hutchinson (C+): The critic finds the series so-so overall, praising Keri Russell's strong central performance as the one element holding it together while noting it fails to rise consistently to her level. It singles out the shaky dramatic developments and hollow theatrical tone that undercut tension and make the show feel built on a house of cards. [Read](https://collider.com/the-diplomat-netflix-review/)
- **Paste**, Shane Ryan (7.6): The critic sees the series as relentlessly fun yet only half-serious, a slight entertainment saved by its stars rather than its geopolitics. It singles out the compelling, messy interplay between Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell as husband and wife for praise, while faulting the dicey grasp of international politics. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/the-diplomat/the-diplomat-review)

## Details

- **Created by:** Debora Cahn
- **Creator:** Debora Cahn
- **Director:** Alex Graves, Tucker Gates, Liza Johnson, Andrew Bernstein, Simon Cellan Jones
- **Writer:** Debora Cahn, Peter Noah, Anna Hagen, Peter Ackerman, Julianna Dudley Meagher, Amanda Johnson-Zetterström, Eli Attie, Jessica Brickman
- **Story:** Debora Cahn, Mia Chung, Julianna Dudley Meagher
- **Teleplay:** Debora Cahn, Anna Hagen, Mia Chung
- **Cinematography:** Julian Court, Giorgio Scali, Philipp Blaubach
- **Editor:** Agnès Challe-Grandits, Gary Levy, Matthew S. Nickelson, Ken Eluto
- **Music:** Marcelo Zarvos, Dimitri Smith, Nathan Barr
- **Production design:** Jeff Tessler, Chris Roope, Curt Beech
- **Costume design:** Jenny Gering, Roland Sanchez, Edward K. Gibbon
- **Producer:** Brad Carpenter, Pam Roberts, Amanda Johnson-Zetterström
- **Cast:** Keri Russell as Ambassador Kate Wyler; Rufus Sewell as Hal Wyler; David Gyasi as Foreign Secretary Austin Dennison; Ali Ahn as Eidra Park; Rory Kinnear as Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge; Ato Essandoh as Stuart Hayford; Bradley Whitford as Todd Penn; Allison Janney as President Grace Penn
- **Certificate (MPA):** TV-MA
- **Release (the US):** 20 April 2023
- **Genres:** Drama, War & Politics
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lV6sJlBbhPs

## Where to watch in the US

- Netflix: streaming

*Checked 2026-09-11.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, AZ, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, SK, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## If you liked this

- *Borgen* (2010), Fi1m 84: For political compromises that follow their makers home and stay there. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/borgen.md)
- *The Thick of It* (2005), Fi1m 94: For government offices where every conversation creates another problem to manage. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/tv/the-thick-of-it.md)
- *The Bureau* (2015): For patient intelligence work and private attachments that complicate professional judgement.
- *The Lives of Others* (2006), Fi1m 84: For a sterner account of political power intruding on private lives. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-lives-of-others.md)
- *Broadcast News* (1987), Fi1m 84: For capable professionals whose judgement falters once their feelings get involved. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/broadcast-news.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/tv/the-diplomat