Netflix Renews ‘The Diplomat’ For Season 2, Its Second-Best Show Of 2023

I can’t say I’m surprised about the final verdict, but I am a little bit surprised at the speed, something Netflix is not generally known for, even with hits. The Diplomat has been renewed for season 2, less than two weeks after its debut on April 20, following in the footsteps of another “intrigue” thriller, The Night Agent, which also snapped up a quick pickup.

Jinny Howe, VP of Netflix Drama, referenced the cliffhanger as a reason to continue on, something that has generally been a huge risk for often-canceled new Netflix shows:

“Fans around the world are loving every minute of ‘The Diplomat’s’ gripping and propulsive drama, and embracing Keri Russell’s powerful performance as Kate Wyler. After that jaw-dropping cliffhanger, we can’t wait for them to see what the amazing visionary team of Debora Cahn, Janice Williams and Keri Russell have in store for Season 2.”

Showrunner and creator Debora Cahn had this to say about the news: “We had such a great time making ‘The Diplomat,’ it’s a thrill to see how much people are enjoying it. We’re so glad we get to do it again!”

Previously, Cahn had referenced her time on Homeland in terms of how she likes to tell long-form stories, something Netflix generally is not known for, with only a few series living to true old age. And that’s usually like, Big Mouth or Working Moms. Rarely high-impact dramas like this.

This is great news, however, as I would classify The Diplomat as Netflix’s second-best show of 2023, behind only Beef, I’d say, which currently holds the top spot in my mind. No renewal for that show yet, but it ended on a more conclusive note and the showrunner has said a new season would follow a new cast in an anthology format.

As for The Diplomat, I am only deducting points for the abrupt cliffhanger ending, because I really don’t love the “wait who died???” style cliffhangers ever since The Walking Dead tried to pull that with Negan and his bat. I also didn’t think the reveal twist of who was behind everything was good either, given the relatively grounded context of the rest of the series, but I won’t go into deep spoilers here.

The Diplomat is a rare triple win-win-win situation for Netflix, high viewership, high critic scores, high audience scores, even though it really only usually cares about the first one. I’m going to put the over-under on this series to run for 4-5 seasons, even that seems ambitious for Netflix. We’ll see, but at least it’s secured a season 2, and we’ll have a resolution for that cliffhanger after all.

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