The Diplomat

The Pre-Match Setup: Geopolitical Pressure Cooker

"The Diplomat" will premiere in 2023 and follows Kate Wyler, a US diplomat who becomes the ambassador to the UK. International relations and Wyler's personal relations collide, as she must juggle a diplomatic crisis and a strained marriage to a politician. "The Diplomat" blends the world of international relations with personal relations. There are numerous parallels to draw between Kate Wyler's new job as Ambassador and personal challenges. The show promises a variety of themes including, marriage, infidelity, diplomacy, and politics. If you enjoy shows with numerous complex themes and plot lines, this show might be for you. The show is fast paced and hopefully keeps you on the edge of your seat like a cricket match. The show aims to be a new kind of political show, where every dialogue contains a negotiation and every personal dispute represents a geo-political issue. Overall the show has a game with numerous complex themes and challenges which requires your full attention.

The Star Players: Russell's Game-Winning Performance

There’s no question that Keri Russell is the MVP of The Diplomat. Her performance has been rightfully praised. Throughout the entire series, she brings a tough and no-nonsense energy that helps anchor the show. Kate Wyler is a character that “negotiates the best possible terms” for the show and makes “soapy takes on statecraft” that are “actually bingeable.” While the series takes a lot of jabs at the state of politics, Kate is constantly feeling overwhelmed, but is competent, effective, and deserving of our respect and admiration. On top of all that, Kate is constantly giving a tour-de-force performance while showing us the weariness that comes with a long career in politics and the various complications in her personal life. Rufus Sewell delivers a stellar performance as her husband, and Ali Ahn is a great addition as well. Every episode is fast paced and reminiscent of a classic political drama. These performances blend with rapid-fire dialogue and Russell’s presence to help carry the show. Strong performances centered around complex characters are the most compelling power plays in the geo-political arena, and these performances truly exemplify that.

The Momentum Swings: From Thriller Pace to Nuance Misses

The show was built to create momentum. It has demonstrated its ability to build tension and "make geopolitical crises highly bingeable entertainment" much like a thriller. It moves at a fast pace, covering a ton of ground, taking "a lot of liberties" to keep that sense of speed and excitement. Though, again, many feel this is the strength of the show. It creates a fast pace drama unlike anything else. The beauty of the show is it creates a drama set in the world of politics. Unlike many of its counterparts, it is not focused on needlessly long, complex, and drawn out scenes of politics and law. Instead, it gives its focus to the humanity set against the backdrop of world politics. In many ways this show feels like a "time-honored political drama" and gives audiences a different perspective. As one reviewer put it, this show is "a very good change from the moralistic standpoint drama[s]" which seem to be pervasive. This is a show that is going to give you, the audience, a reason to talk, drawing you in to "grab on for dear life" and having you constantly comparing it to your favorite shows.

The show is quite entertaining and fast paced; however, “the Diplomat” tends to gloss over complex details and gets a bit unrealistic at times. Many critics have stated, “there is a fair amount to be incredulous about” and have said the series leans into ridiculousness as opposed to showing a “considered look at international relations.” Because of this, the series tends to get unnecessarily “improbably-plotted” and “generic” as well as “lacking in delicacy and nuance” and “on the whole, not very satisfying.” Although it gets a lot of details correct, the series seems to stray from what is realistic and “veers completely off into something that has nothing or little to do with actual diplomacy.” When looking for a statecraft series with realistic details, this one can tend to seem “simplistic” and “bland” and “hardly rises above the very bland and the very average.” It has an “insistently talky” nature and tends to focus on the “uninteresting bits.” However, for what it lacks, it attempts to make up with lots of drama and “high entertainment value” at the cost of “fidelity to the world of actual diplomacy.”

The Full-Time Scoreline: A Bingeable Win with Asterisks

What's the full-time score for The Diplomat? While this series takes a few “creative” liberties with real-world diplomacy, this show wins big time for those of us who love a strong, fast-paced plot with well-developed characters and enjoy a good geo-political thriller. Keri Russell is the heart and soul of this show and gives a tour de force performance which elevates this series above the normal political procedural. Complex diplomatic crises feel personal and immediate, and carry an inherent urgency that makes this show hard to pull away from and impossible to not binge. It feels more like a thrilling game of cricket than your normal political drama. Yes, it does take “a lot of liberties” with the realities of the diplomatic corps and the stakes sometimes feel a bit inflated compared to the drama. At times it is criticized for being “neither particularly thrilling nor complex.” But most will agree it is strongly entertaining and character driven. Overall this is a good, engaging political drama. It is definitely worth the binge, but don’t expect it to reinvent the genre.