Yahoo News The Diplomat season 2 is officially happening on Netflix
The Diplomat spoilers follow.
The Diplomat season two is officially happening on Netflix, which comes as no surprise given it was a huge hit for the streamer (plus, it would have been cruel not to renew the show after season one's explosive finale).
The political drama follows career diplomat Kate Wyler as she adjusts to her new high-profile job as a UK ambassador amid an international crisis, all while trying to survive her stormy marriage to fellow career diplomat Hal.
Featuring a cast that includes Cocaine Bear's Keri Russell, Bank of Dave's Rory Kinnear and Old's Rufus Sewell, the show managed to dethrone fellow political drama The Night Agent from its long-standing number-one spot in Netflix's global top 10.
Now that we know Kate's coming back for more, here's everything you need to know about The Diplomat season two.
The Diplomat season 2 potential release date: When can we expect The Diplomat season 2?
While the renewal of The Diplomat on Netflix came quickly, we're still waiting for an exact release date.
In June last year, production on season two of The Diplomat began in London. The cast and producers were even seen meeting US Secretary Antony Blinken at the US Embassy in London.
However, filming was halted in July due to the SAG-AFTRA strike in Hollywood – which lasted for a total of 118 days.
In December, ScreenDaily reported that filming had restarted on the series, and then at the start of this year, it was confirmed that season two will be back in 2024. Hurray!
"Looking ahead, despite last year's strikes pushing back the launch of some titles, we have a big, bold slate for 2024," Netflix said in an investor letter, per Deadline.
We'll just have to wait a bit longer for now to get a firmed-up release date, so stay tuned.
The Diplomat season 2 cast: Who will be coming back for The Diplomat season 2?
It's been confirmed that Keri Russell will reprise her role as Kate Wyler (you can't have The Diplomat without the diplomat, after all), but who will be joining her?
We would expect to see David Gyasi back as Austin Dennison, as well as Ali Ahn as Eidra Graham and Rory Kinnear as Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge.
The following cast members are also likely to return for season two:
• Miguel Sandoval as Miguel Ganon
• Nana Mensah as Billie Appiah
• Michael McKean as US President William Rayburn
The fates of Kate's husband Hal Wyler (Rufus Sewell) and Stuart Hayford (Ato Essandoh) are a little more uncertain, given they were both within range of Conservative MP Merritt Grove's (Simon Chandler) car exploding.
We see but don't hear the French police informing Kate of the news in Paris. Are Hal and Stuart dead or just injured?
We'll also be introduced to a new character in season two, as Allison Janney has been cast as Vice President Grace Penn.
If we're really lucky, we'll get a The Americans reunion – as Keri Russell has been trying to get Matthew Rhys on the show.
"He's so fun to work with. I would love to," Russell told The AV Club. "If The Diplomat gets a second season, maybe we can lure him our way. In fact, when we were filming last summer, I asked him, 'Don't you want [series creator] Debora [Cahn] to write something for you? What would you do?'
"Matthew likes tough guys because I think, you know, he's an actor and wears make-up for a living, so when I said, 'What do you want to play?' He said some kind of army or military soldier. So you never know."
The Diplomat season 2 plot: What will happen in The Diplomat season 2?
In The Diplomat's explosive season-one finale, Kate and Dennison deduce that Trowbridge ordered the attack on HMS Courageous and hired the Russian Lenkov Group to kill his own men.
We then watch as Grove's car explodes with Hal and Stuart within range before the police inform Kate of the news and the credits roll in.
Speaking to Tudum about what she wanted to accomplish with this explosive cliffhanger, series creator Debora Cahn said: "I wanted to bring together all of the different dynamics of the political relationships and the personal relationships in one event that splits apart all at the same time.
"The essential conflict in the relationship is that these are two people [Kate and Hal Wyler] married to each other and in love with each other, who are colleagues, who were great collaborators and are sometimes great competitors. It takes all the dynamics of a relationship of a marriage and heightens them when you can’t ever get away."
It looks like we'll finally find out if Hal and Stuart were killed by the blast or if they're in hospital recovering – and there reportedly won't be long to wait after the series begins.
In July, a source confirmed to TV Line that season two will "pick up right away" after the events of the finale. They said that The Diplomat "has a really compressed timeline – something like three weeks pass in season one – so it makes sense season two would start moments later."
Sharing his hopes for their survival in an interview with Tudum, Sewell said: "I hope we all survive. What can I say? I mean, I loved the dramatic turn. I just have to hope that everyone will be OK. But the drama needs to be real."
As for Kate and Hal’s marital issues, he added: "I like to think there are enough problems to last us [a few seasons]. Who knows?"
Meanwhile, Kate and Dennison will likely be building a case against Trowbridge in season two.
"I'm excited to see what that relationship [becomes]," Gyasi told Tudum."They're so opposite to one another, and yet, when you scratch the surface, [you see] what drives them [and they’re] probably more connected to one another than a lot of other characters."
The Diplomat season 2 trailer: Any footage of The Diplomat season 2?
Given The Diplomat is still in production, it might sadly be a while before we see any new footage from the show.
But make sure to stay tuned for additional information on season two – including trailers, official casting announcements and fresh plot details.
The Diplomat season one is available to watch now on Netflix.
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