‘The Diplomat’ Boss on How ‘Homeland’ & ‘The Americans’ Inspired the Netflix Thriller
Preview
When Debora Cahn, showrunner and creator of tense thriller The Diplomat, worked on Homeland, she met with foreign policy and intelligence experts, including, she recalls, “ambassadors whose stories were mind-blowing. That was the inspiration for this series, which combines the intensity of Homeland and [2013-18 spy drama] The Americans with the absurdity that comes with interactions between nations.”
Keri Russell, who expertly played a Soviet spy in The Americans, is back in the thick of the intelligence world in this political — and marital — drama as Kate Wyler, new ambassador to Britain. Used to managing crises, Kate was set to rebuild the U.S. diplomatic mission in Afghanistan and thinks her new post will be ceremonial.
Arriving in London after the bombing of a British ship in the Persian Gulf, she “winds up navigating a violent conflict playing out on three continents,” the producer says.
Also keeping Kate on her toes in the eight-episode season is husband Hal (Rufus Sewell), a flamboyant, beloved former ambassador who’s not used to being “in the backseat,” says Cahn. “It doesn’t bring out the best in either of them. They’re partners and competitors.”
Sounds like the new ambassador must manage more than one crisis.
The Diplomat Season 1 is comprised of eight episodes and is executive produced by Cahn, Russell, Janice Williams, and Simon Cellan Jones, with Dan Toland serving as producer. Through the personal relationship between Russell and Sewell’s characters, plus the dueling nations, the high-stakes political drama showcases the real, complicated people behind the history-shaping moves of the world’s governments. That, and the work it takes to keep any longterm relationship afloat.
David Gyasi, Ali Ahn, Rory Kinnear, and Ato Essandoh also star, in addition to guest stars Celia Imrie, Michael McKean, Nana Mensah, T’Nia Miller, and Miguel Sandoval.
The Diplomat, Series Premiere, Thursday, April 20, Netflix
This is a story from the April issue of TV Insider Magazine. For more in-depth, reported coverage devoted to streaming shows from the publishers of TV Guide Magazine, pick up the new monthly publication, currently on newsstands. You can also subscribe to TV Insider Magazine here now.
