Netflix's 'The Diplomat' picked up for season five and more political betrayal

Despite how season 4 of The Diplomat ended, Netflix isn’t ready to leave the world of international intrigue behind.

The streamer just renewed the hit political drama for a fifth season, following the strong debut of its fourth installment on October 15.

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A season 5 renewal wasn't much of a shock, given the popularity of the series. The foreign-policy thriller—which was created by Debora Cahn and stars Keri Russell, Rufus Sewell, Allison Janney and Bradley Whitford—has been in Netflix’s Top 10 for 13 weeks, reaching the top 10 in 87 countries and earning over 130 million views since its debut in 2023, the streamer says. When season 4 premiered earlier this month, it reached no. 3 on the Global Top 10 in its second week and entered the Top 10 in 63 countries.

And it's also quite the critical darling, earning Golden Globe, Emmy, SAG, PGA, WGA, and Critics Choice nominations since it premiered in 2023, including an AFI Honor. For its third season, Russell won the SAG Actor’s Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series, Janney took home an Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, and the series received seven Emmy nominations overall. 

Watch the trailer for The Diplomat season 4:

What happened in The Diplomat season 4?

Warning: Spoilers ahead!

Season 4 was as tense as ever, mirroring some real-world political maneuvering, as President Grace Penn (Janney) survives an assassination attempt. We watch as Janney's character makes some bold-but-brazen moves to protect the U.S. as she and VP Hall Wyler (Sewell) aim to steal Russia’s most powerful weapon. Kate (Russell) and Todd (Whitford) try to stop the Grace-Hal alliance from upending the balance of power abroad and at home, but find they aren’t so united at the end of the season.

Where season 5 will go, we don’t have any details yet, but we’re sure it’ll be even higher stakes, especially given Kate and Wyler’s decision to walk out in that shocking season 4 finale. 

Stay tuned for our briefing of season 5 as soon as Netflix announces it!