10 TV Shows Like the Diplomat That You Should Watch in the Future.
After its recently concluded fourth season, Netflix’s political thriller The Diplomat has been renewed for a fifth season. Better yet, it’s a rare series on streaming platforms that seems to maintain a fairly consistent schedule, meaning new episodes of the spy drama starring Keri Russell will likely arrive late next year. If you’re looking for something with a similar political thriller vibe to watch in the meantime, here are 10 other series to watch right now.
Homeland (2011–2020)
The Diplomat creator Deborah Kahn began her career on The West Wing but honed her craft in political espionage on this show, where she worked as a writer and later as an executive producer. The series begins with CIA operative Carrie Mathison (Claire Danes) suspecting that decorated Marine sniper Nicholas Brody (Damian Lewis), recently rescued from an al-Qaeda hideout, has been turned and is planning a terrorist attack on the United States. Because Mathison has bipolar disorder, her superiors dismiss these suspicions, setting off a cat-and-mouse game: who is he—or isn’t he? As the series unfolds, Carrie rises through the ranks until she finds herself working directly for the president. Both leads won Emmy Awards for their roles, and the series won Outstanding Drama Series in its first year. Watch Homeland on Hulu andNetflix .
Slow Horses (2022 – )
Slow Horses , based on Mick Herron’s novels and largely focused on the dark side of international espionage, shares with The Diplomat a dry sense of humor about the consequences of institutional and human failure. Referencing the great spy dramas of John le Carré, Slow Horses updates the setting without losing the plot’s urgency or the style of this time-tested genre. The “Slow Horses” of the title are a group of former MI5 agents: all of them have failed important cases but are still considered useful , albeit in dull administrative tasks. Naturally, the group (led by Gary Oldman’s perpetually farting Jackson Lamb) finds itself in a far more predicament than anyone could have imagined. Kristin Scott Thomas plays the head of the spy team, who struggles to navigate political pressure, misogyny, and her own unbridled ambition while doing her job. Watch Slow Horses on Apple TV .
Night Agent (2023–)
“The Night Agent” is a suspenseful drama with a touch of a spy thriller. Gabriel Basso plays Peter Sutherland, an FBI agent who works nights in the White House basement, monitoring a phone that never, ever rings (a dream job, frankly), until one night it finally does. Peter receives a call from Rose Larkin, a cybersecurity expert whose aunt and uncle have just been killed; unaware that they, too, were government agents, Peter’s rescue plunges him into a web of conspiracy and corruption that unfolds over three seasons, with a fourth and final season on the way. While the series is a bit more action-packed than “The Diplomat,” it still treads the same ground of government secrets and conspiracies.Watch “The Night Agent” on Netflix.
The West Wing (1999–2006)
At the start of the new millennium , The West Wing seemed like a somewhat overblown but not entirely implausible portrait of politics in action; its grounded style gave it a poignancy, imagining smart, thoughtful people getting government jobs and trying to do more or less the right thing despite systemic and personal flaws (it was with this show that Deborah Kahn, creator of The Diplomat , got her start as a screenwriter). The show’s world may be a bit jarring compared to our more dire real-world setting, but it’s nonetheless a thoroughly enjoyable fantasy, with President Martin Sheen leading the White House staff through a variety of diplomatic, military, and political crises. Watch The West Wing on Netflix and HBO Max .
Borgen (2010–2022)
Sidse Babett Knudsen plays Birgitte Nyborg in this popular foreign-produced series. She’s a minor Danish politician who watches other politicians fall into trouble and become incompetent, while she quickly and unexpectedly rises to the post of prime minister. Espionage and action are entirely secondary (but not absent), as the series explores the moral and political compromises that seem to be an integral part of government. Talk of an American remake has been swirling for years, but you should definitely watch the original.Watch Borgen on Netflix.
Scandal (2012–2018)
By the time “Scandal” premiered, Shonda Rhimes was already a powerful producer and writer with several successful seasons of ” Grey’s Anatomy,” but the combination of political intrigue and sexy, soapy drama truly cemented her brand and place at the top of the modern television landscape. Kerry Washington plays Olivia Pope, the head of the Washington, D.C., crisis management firm Olivia Pope & Associates (OPA), the go-to person when a PR disaster strikes. To understand the scale of the drama, consider that Tony Goldwyn plays Fitzgerald Grant III, who is both the President of the United States and Olivia’s lover. Watch “Scandal” on Hulu andNetflix .
Madam Secretary (2014–2019)
Téa Leoni plays Elizabeth McCord, a former CIA analyst who left that high-pressure life to become a political science professor. Everything is going well until the Secretary of State dies under mysterious circumstances, and her former CIA boss, now the president, calls her to her post. With her outside perspective and disdain for political considerations, she excels at her job, successfully resolving both foreign and domestic crises while also trying to figure out who the hell killed her predecessor and whether they’re after her too. Watch “Madam Secretary” on The Roku Channel.
Designated Successor: 60 Days (2019)
The original American version of this series starring Kiefer Sutherland is perfectly watchable—the plot is essentially the same—but the South Korean remake benefits from being only 16 episodes long, making it much more concise and gritty. Education Minister Park Moo-jin (Ji Jin-hee) is fired the day before an attack during the announcement of peace talks with North Korea, which disrupts the entire presidential line of succession. With his dismissal not yet finalized, the largely unambitious Minister Park is forced to assume his post, despite lingering questions about the attack that brought him to this position. WatchDesignated Successor: 60 Days on Netflix.
The Americans (2013–2018)
It’s a different time and place, but it offers all the spy adventures fans of The Diplomat could want with Keri Russell. Created by former CIA officer Joe Weisberg, The Americans is set in the 1980s during the Cold War. The series follows Soviet KGB agents Elizabeth (Russell) and Philip Jennings (the always reliable Matthew Rhys) as they live undercover as an American couple in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and raise their American-born children. This critically acclaimed series emphasizes historical context and a central conflict, pitting the two spies in the heart of American suburbia while simultaneously attempting to undermine the Reagan-era government under which their children are growing up. Watch The Americans on Hulu .
Whirlwind (2024)
At the heart of this gripping political thriller is a struggle for power over an entire country. Prime Minister Park Dong-ho begins to believe the president has been corrupted by powerful and wealthy individuals and companies (something that could clearly only happen in South Korea). Deputy Prime Minister Jeon Soo-jin also sees the problem but is unsure of his solution: he wants to assassinate the president. But how much better is he than the man he’s replacing? And how pure are her motives as she potentially lays claim to the highest office?Watch “Whirlwind” on Netflix .