Kate Wyler’s (Keri Russell) work overseas isn’t letting up. The Diplomatis coming back for a third season in fall 2025, and, by the looks of it, things are about to get a lot more complicated as Bradley Whitford (The West Wing, The Handmaid’s Tale) joins the cast. Check him out in the teaser above.
“I was thrilled when I heard that Debora [Cahn, creator, showrunner, and executive producer] was interested in me doing something,” Whitford tells Tudum. “I had no idea what it was, but I love the show. I was jealous of the writing on this show. I love Keri. I love Rufus. And I hear Allison Janney is good at acting too. It’s an amazing cast.”
As for what to expect from the upcoming episodes, “Season 3 flips the chessboard,” Cahn tells Tudum. “In Season 3, Kate lives the particular nightmare that is getting what you want.”
Clifton Prescod/Netflix
Production on the new season has wrapped in London and New York. “We’re shooting some stuff already in Season 3 that involves big groups and lots of people, and we do tend to rehearse those [scenes],” Russell said during a November 2024 episode of Netflix’s Skip Intro podcast. “It’s such rapid-fire diplomatic speak that we make sure that everyone’s on the same page and knows what we’re actually talking about.”
While you wait for new episodes to arrive, read on for all the intel on what’s to come, including major casting announcements.
What’s going to happen in Season 3 of The Diplomat?
When we pick up for Season 3 of The Diplomat, Kate has just accused Vice President Grace Penn (Allison 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 (Rufus 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).
What happens in Season 2 of The Diplomat?
In The Diplomat’s second season, Kate’s worst fears unfold when she realizes that the Season 1 attack on a British naval ship didn’t stem from a rival nation — it came from inside the British government.
After learning that Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge (Rory Kinnear)’s former adviser Margaret “Meg” Roylin (Celia Imrie) is the Brit involved, she makes another shocking discovery: Vice President Grace Penn was involved in the attack.
Penn wanted to squash Scotland’s efforts to break free from the UK. If Scotland gained independence, it would have led to the closure of Creegan, a nuclear-submarine base in Scotland that serves both the US and the UK.
That all comes to a head in the season finale. Instead of telling US Secretary of State Miguel Ganon (Miguel Sandoval) what Penn did, Kate’s diplomat husband, Hal, calls President Rayburn (Michael McKean) directly, and the commander in chief does not handle the news well. As Kate and the vice president debate whether Kate would have done the same thing, Hal breaks the news that President Rayburn has died — and Penn is now president.
Who’s in The Diplomat Season 3 cast?
Another West Wing alum joins the ensemble for Season 3. Bradley Whitford is set to play President Grace Penn’s husband, Todd Penn, reuniting the actor with his former West Wing co-star Janney.
“Brad was the fantasy version of Todd — for all of us,” Cahn tells Tudum. “We still can’t believe it came true.”
Executive producer Janice Williams adds, “Bradley was the perfect addition to what is already a dream cast.”
The returning cast includes:
- Keri Russell as diplomat Kate Wyler
- Rufus Sewell as diplomat Hal Wyler
- David Gyasi as British Foreign Secretary Austin Dennison
- Ali Ahn as CIA Station Chief Eidra Park
- Ato Essandoh as Deputy Chief of Mission Stuart Hayford
- Allison Janney as President Grace Penn
- Rory Kinnear as British Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge
Can I see some photos from Season 3?
Yup! Check out a first look at Whitford as Todd Penn from the new season in the above photos.
Can I watch a teaser for The Diplomat Season 3?
Yes, check out Whitford as Todd Penn in the teaser trailer above. The clip sees Todd sit down to drinks with the president, Kate, and Hal, and politely inquire, “How was everyone’s day at the office?”
And for a further glimpse of Season 3, watch the second teaser trailer at the top of this article. “A terribly flawed woman is now the president, and only we know just how flawed,” Kate says to Hal in the new clip.
“Hal knows and Kate knows that that tidal wave is about to hit Grace, all of ourcharacters, and the entire world,” Cahn tells Tudum of where we pick up with Season 3.
Adds Williams, “A second has passed, but everything has changed because Kate has just accused the vice president of basically being a war criminal, and now that same vice president is the president, and Kate knows that even if Grace doesn’t yet.”
What is The Diplomat Season 3 release date?
Season 3 of The Diplomat arrives on Netflix Oct. 16.
Stream Seasons 1 and 2 of The Diplomat now.
[man] The vice president
is on her way to London.
Meet Allison Janney as Vice President Grace Penn in The Diplomat Season 2
