The Diplomat Season 3: Premiere Date, Cast, Potential Storylines, and Everything Else to Know

The Diplomat, starring Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell, has been one of Netflix's most popular series since it made its debut in 2023, and that popularity didn't wane at all when Season 2 dropped in November. If anything, the immense twistiness of Season 2 — which culminated in an even more outrageous cliffhanger than the car bombing that ended Season 1 — has fans in more of a tizzy now than ever. It's really difficult to be patient with that hanging over our heads. Fortunately for us, Netflix renewed The Diplomat for a third season before Season 2 even dropped, so at least we've been able to breathe easy knowing that Season 3 will definitely happen.

Warning: This article will include some major spoilers for Season 2 of The Diplomat. If you have not yet watched, you may want to do something else until you do.

So we know that a third season of The Diplomat is coming, but do we know anything else about what's in store for us? It's still early, but there are a few clues. Let's dive into everything we know so far about Season 3 of The Diplomat.

The Diplomat Season 3 latest news

As previously mentioned, Netflix has renewed The Diplomat for a third season, with that announcement coming in October as production kicked off. With filming already underway on Season 3, hopefully we won't have to wait too long before we can watch it.

The Diplomat Season 3 premiere date prediction

We don't yet have any definitive info about when to expect The Diplomat Season 3 — it's on the 2025 calendar, but that's all we've got. But with production having already begun, it wouldn't be surprising if Season 3 premieres on Netflix by next fall. But don't hold us to that.

The Diplomat Season 3 cast and crew

Everybody is back for Season 3 — everyone who's alive, that is, which should include pretty much everyone except for President Rayburn, who apparently died in the final scene of Season 2. 

So, yes, creator/showrunner Debora Cahn is still in charge, and all the key actors will be back for another round. Presumably we'll meet some new cast members as well, but none have yet been announced. So the cast for Season 3 of The Diplomat right now looks about the same as it already did.

• Keri Russell as Kate Wyler, US ambassador to the UK
• Rufus Sewell as Hal Wyler
• David Dyasi as UK foreign minister Austin Dennison
• Ato Essandoh as Stuart Heyford, the ambassador's chief of staff
• Ali Ahn as Eidra Park, the local CIA station chief
• Rory Kinnear as UK prime minister Nicol Trowbridge
• Allison Janney as Grace Penn, the incoming US president

The Diplomat Season 3 plot and storylines

During Season 2 of The Diplomat, we learned that the inciting incident of the series — the bombing of a British ship that caused the deaths of several dozen British soldiers — was actually caused by members of the British government in a false-flag operation. And then we learned that it was the US vice president Grace Penn who gave them the idea and helped plan it. Ambassador Wyler's husband had the brilliant idea of telling President Rayburn about it — and Rayburn responded by, according to Hal, having a heart attack and dying right then and there. Which means that Grace Penn, who may or may not be the series antagonist, is now president, and she knows that the Wylers know about it.

That's the stage that's been set, but the situation is so ridiculous and over the top that it would be silly to try to guess about what's next on The Diplomat. But while we don't actually know anything about Season 3 just yet, we have at least one cryptic clue from the showrunner.

"In Season 3, Kate lives the particular nightmare that is getting what you want," Debora Cahn said on Netflix's Tudum website. What does that mean, exactly? Well, the thing that Kate Wyler has been pursuing lately is the vice presidency — though the thought was that Penn was going to retire in order to get ahead of this scandal with the British ship. With Penn as the new US president, Cahn may be telling us that Kate Wyler will be Grace Penn's veep, in a "keep your enemies closer" sort of move by the new boss. 

It could also mean the exact opposite. At the beginning of the series, Kate was planning to become the new ambassador to Afghanistan, with the UK post being a last-second pivot. Kate has complained about this often — she's a woman of action, and a cushy post in London isn't what she wanted. 

Whatever the reality ends up being, it seems like Kate will probably use her leverage against Penn to get something, and then that something will probably not work out the way she expected. It's worth noting that Season 3 has been shooting in both New York and London, so it's doubtful the series will stray too far from established places for too long.

Where to watch Season 1 and 2 of The Diplomat

The first two seasons of The Diplomat are available to watch on Netflix.