“The Diplomat,” a political thriller series starring Keri Russell, will premiere on Thursday, April 20, Netflix said Thursday. The streamer also released a first-look photo of Russell in character, which you can see below.
The eight-episode series, in which Russell’s character Kate Wyler is the new U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom, is from showrunner Debora Cahn of “The West Wing” and “Homeland.” Wyler has to contend not only with international crises, but her marriage to fellow career diplomat and political star Hal Wyler (Rufus Sewell).
“‘The Diplomat’ is a show about the transcendence and torture of long-term relationships,” said Cahn, who is also the show’s creator and an executive producer. “It’s hard to keep a relationship going, be it a marriage or a military alliance. We change, the world changes, and yet we want these relationships to go on forever.”
“It’s a show about a bunch of good people doing their best to keep their global and personal partnerships intact without killing each other,” Cahn said. “In the world of diplomacy, you’re dealing with a lot of rule-bound, protocol-driven behavior, but underneath all that, these are people who sweat, and spill coffee on their clothes, and forget the name of the person they’re talking to. All of that is always bubbling under the grandeur and majesty of working with heads of state.”
Russell currently stars in the movie “Cocaine Bear.” She received three Emmy nominations for her role as a sleeper Russian agent in FX’s “The Americans,” which also earned her two Golden Globe nominations. She won a Globe in 1999 for ABC’s “Felicity.”
“The Diplomat”also stars David Gyasi, Ali Ahn, Rory Kinnear, and Ato Essandoh. Guest and recurring stars include Michael McKean, Nana Mensah, Celia Imrie, T’Nia Miller, and Miguel Sandoval.
It’s executive produced by Deborah Cahn, Janice Williams and Keri Russell and Simon Cellan Jones (Episodes 101-102). Dan Toland (“The English) produces.
