It’s been a quarter-century since Aaron Sorkin introduced us to President Jed Bartlet and his senior staff on The West Wing, and to this day that remains one of the most rewatchable series in television history. So when I heard that The Diplomat Season 3, premiering this fall on the 2025 TV schedule, would feature a reunion between Allison Janney and Bradley Whitford, I knew I had to see it. I’m now through Season 1, and I’m kicking myself for not getting into this Netflix series sooner.
The West Wing is such a comfort-watch for me. As far as I’m concerned, there are few things better than Aaron Sorkin’s smart, quick dialogue being delivered by brilliant actors playing well-intentioned characters whose only goal is to leave the world a little better than they found it. The Diplomat doesn’t quite rise to that level of idealism, but it’s a super fun ride that I probably should have gotten on earlier.
Allison Janney And Bradley Whitford Playing Spouses Excited Me As A West Wing Fan
When it comes to political series in general, I’ve dipped more than a toe into the genre, enjoying shows like Scandal, Veep and House of Cards but never attempting to make the effort to watch everything available. Keri Russell’s series The Diplomat always fell on my list alongside things like The Americans and Designated Survivor as something I figured I would enjoy but never was a priority.
Then, all of a sudden, The Diplomat became a priority. Allison Janney’s casting in Season 2 had gotten my attention, but with Bradley Whitford joining Season 3 — as Janney’s character’s husband! — yeah, that sealed the deal.
I’ve now streamed the 8-episode first season with my Netflix subscription, and even though neither of The West Wing actors have appeared yet, I’m all-in for this thriller starring Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell.
The Diplomat Has Some Similarities To The West Wing, But It’s Great In Its Own Way
I won’t get into any spoilers about The Diplomat, but the story centers around Keri Russell’s Kate Wyler, who unexpectedly gets appointed to serve as the US ambassador to the UK following an attack on a British aircraft carrier that killed dozens. She doesn’t know it, but she’s also interviewing to take over as vice president of the United States.
There are definitely parts of the Netflix series that feel like The West Wing — particularly when they get into the weeds of international relations. Jargon is spit back and forth across a conference table and information is quickly delivered to Kate as she walks hastily from one meeting to the next, walk-and-talk style. Both shows also inject plenty of humor into otherwise serious or mundane situations.
The Diplomat is a thriller, though, complete with plot twists, tons of behind-the-scenes scheming and a major cliffhanger at the end of Season 1. Now, The West Wing has provided some of the best cliffhangers in TV history, but I’m more likely to feel a sense of satisfaction over some legislation being passed on than to get bamboozled over who double-crossed whom to cause an international incident.
I’d also argue that no relationship on The West Wing is as complicated, infuriating and satisfying as the one between Kate Wyler and her (sometimes estranged?) husband Hal.
The Diplomat Is Keri Russell’s Show, But Rufus Sewell Threatens To Steal It
Kate Wyler is kind of a mess — she spills food on her clothes, she doesn’t give speeches, her hair is often all over the place (Keri Russell’s hair is always its own character, is it not?), and sometimes she doesn’t even try to hide her hangover. I think she’s great, but it can be pretty hard to compete with what Rufus Sewell is doing as Hal.
Hal Wyler is a former US ambassador himself, who has been politically hamstrung after calling the Secretary of State a war criminal. As ambitious as ever, though, he seems to always be about three steps ahead of everybody else, enacting schemes to benefit Kate or, more often, himself.
Just as Hal continuously finds ways to upstage his wife as he seemingly positions himself for a return to power, Rufus Sewell does threaten to steal the show from Keri Russell at times. He brings an energy to every scene, because it’s so hard to know what he’s up to, and what has he already done that we won’t know about until later?
For instance, Kate has already decided to divorce Hal, and he’s going along with it. However, he also knows that a divorce would end her chances of becoming VP, and he’d prefer to stay married anyway. How does she feel about that? It’s super complicated.
Romances Add A Layer To The Diplomat’s Characters That The West Wing Lacked
Kate and Hal’s chemistry is fire, but so is her attraction to UK Foreign Secretary Austin Dennison (David Gyasi). In the eight episodes I’ve seen so far, Keri Russell’s character is caught up in two “will they/won’t they” situations, and this is simply not something The West Wing ever spent too much time with.
Sure, there was Josh Lyman and Donna Moss (Bradley Whitford and Janel Moloney), but they didn’t go past inappropriate workplace flirtation until the very end of the series (and they really lost their luster after they did get together).
CJ Cregg (Allison Janney) sporadically fought the chemistry between her and White House correspondent Danny Concannon (Timothy Busfield) on the grounds of it being a conflict of interest, and of course we got some good moments between Martin Sheen’s President Bartlet and first lady Abbey (Stockard Channing) — “J’accuse mon petit fromage!”
However, the way the relationships in The Diplomat are weaved into the day-to-day happenings makes for a whole new layer of messy. Because in addition to Hal noticing the chemistry between his wife and the UK foreign secretary, he also clocked Deputy Chief of Mission Stuart Heyford’s (Ato Essandoh) relationship with the CIA station chief.
The Cast Is Incredible, And I Haven’t Even Seen Allison Janney Or Bradley Whitford Yet
It should go without saying, but I’ll say it anyway — The Diplomat’s cast is definitely part of what makes this worth watching. Keri Russell is even nominated for a 2025 Emmy Award after also receiving a nod last year. You’ve also got Rory Kinnear as the prime minister, Michael McKean as the president and so many more. I can definitely see Allison Janney and Bradley Whitford fitting right in.
It’s funny to me that The West Wing is what finally made me hit Play on The Diplomat, and I’m completely sold on the show before either of the two Aaron Sorkin players even make an appearance. I know showrunner Debora Cahn was afraid casting Whitford would turn her show into a “West Wing cover band,” but I have to think there are more people like me who will find The Diplomat through that.
I’ll definitely be tuning into Season 3 when it hits the 2025 Netflix schedule on Thursday, October 16 (after I watch the 6-episode second season, of course), and when I do, it will be because I am into the show, not JUST because of The West Wing reunion.