Still Not Over The Diplomat's Shock Ending? Here Are 11 Shows to Watch Next (Including Another Keri Russell-Led Series) (2024)

The DiplomatSeason 3: What to Expect From the Netflix Drama’s Next Chapter — and How Season 2’s Shock Ending 'Flips the Chessboard'

The Americans

Set during the height of the Cold War in the 1980s, this 2013 FX series puts Russell on the other side of an international conspiracy. She and her real-life partner, Matthew Rhys, play married Soviet spies posing as a typical suburban family living in Washington, D.C. While fans of The Diplomat will obviously love seeing a new side of their frontrunner, The Americans also plays on the messiness of mixing politics and relationships.

Bodyguard

When war veteran David Budd (Richard Madden) starts work as principal protection officer for London’s political elite, he’s ready to fulfill his duty honorably. There’s just one problem. His assignment is Home Secretary Julia Montague (Keeley Hawes) — an ambitious politician who supported the very war he fought in. The 2018 series has all the things viewers love about The Diplomat: hidden agendas, power struggles and posh British politics.

The Night Agent

According to this political thriller, there’s a phone in the basement of the White House that never rings — except on the first night low-level FBI agent Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) is manning it. The call kicks off a string of events that forces him to hunt down a government mole and stop a deadly plot before it’s too late.

Searching for the truth in a world of conspiracies isn’t the only thing The Night Agent has in common with The Diplomat. Like Cahn’s drama, its first season spent a lot of time in the Netflix Top 10 and is one of the streamer’s most popular series of all time. Season 2 is expected to hit the streamer in winter 2025, while a third season is in the works.

The West Wing

Anyone who loved Allison Janney in season 2 of The Diplomat should see the actress in all her political glory as press secretary Claudia Jean Cregg in The West Wing. This NBC drama, which premiered in 1999 and ran for seven seasons, follows the lives (and the scandals) of White House staffers who are played by big names like Rob Lowe and Martin Sheen. Need another reason to watch this award-winning classic? Cahn worked on the series as a writer.

"I was worried that it was going to feel like a gimmick," Cahn said about adding Janney to The Diplomat cast. "I was worried that it was going to be like, 'Ooh, C.J. Cregg grew up and is Vice President.' "

Homeland

Looking for another show with Cahn’s touch? Check out Homeland, a 2011 Showtime thriller starring Claire Danes as a bipolar CIA operative who is convinced a prisoner of war has turned on their government and is planning a terrorist attack. Working on the espionage series exposed Cahn to the ins and outs of the political game — and introduced her to an ambassador who planted the first seeds for The Diplomat.

“She looked so polite and unassuming, and if you had told me she was a librarian, I would've believed you,” the showrunner told Tudum in 2023. “And then she starts talking about what her career has looked like and it's just breathtaking. The stories are breathtaking and very action-packed ... and nobody knows about them. Those jobs, when done right, are completely invisible.”

Madam Secretary

Kate’s no-nonsense attitude in The Diplomat is a lot like Téa Leoni’s character in the 2014 CBS series Madam Secretary. The actress plays Elizabeth McCord, a former CIA analyst who gave up her career for a much less hectic life as a political science professor. But when the U.S. Secretary of State suddenly (and mysteriously) dies, the president asks her to step in. Like Kate, Elizabeth sometimes finds life in the spotlight more difficult to navigate than any global conflict.

Designated Survivor

When a deadly attack nearly wipes out the entire White House cabinet, the only surviving low-level member is thrust into the presidency. Kiefer Sutherland stars as Tom Kirkman in this drama, which premiered in 2016, that shares a lot in common with The Diplomat — namely, a politician whose skills are put to the test in the riskiest of circumstances. Designated Survivor also features the late Adan Canto and Kal Penn, who worked as a White House staff member during former President Barack Obama’s administration.

The State Within

This 2006 BBC miniseries also follows a diplomat, only this time, it’s the British ambassador to Washington, D.C. After a plane goes down over the city, Sir Mark Brydon (Jason Isaacs) finds himself at the center of a major conspiracy that could bring down the entire U.S. government. Explosions, suspicion and the looming threat of war are just a few of the many parallels between The Diplomat and The State Within.

Anatomy of a Scandal

Dirt is at the heart of every good political drama, and no show explores the danger of buried secrets better than this 2022 Netflix miniseries. Sienna Miller stars as Sophie Whitehouse, the wife of a minister in the British Parliament who is publicly outed for having an affair. The conspiracies unraveled in Anatomy of a Scandal aren't as global as The Diplomat's, but they are just as twisty.

Scandal

Speaking of scandal, no list of political thrillers is complete without this iconic drama from Shonda Rhimes. Scandal follows Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington), a highly skilled crisis manager who gets her clients out of dicey PR nightmares and makes sure their secrets stay buried — just like her own. While Olivia may be more well-versed in the formalities of political life than Kate is in The Diplomat, both women have a direct (and occasionally harsh) approach that fans love.

Gaslit

Most conspiracies highlighted in political dramas are too absurd to be real — except for Gaslit. In this 2022 Starz miniseries, Julia Roberts portrays Martha Mitchell, the real-life wife of U.S. Attorney General John Mitchell and a whistleblower during the Watergate scandal. Martha’s decisions put her in a dangerous position politically, and like The Diplomat, they also have lasting effects on her marriage.