Netflix set out to create TV shows that resemble “gourmet cheeseburgers,” but those patties often come more from the grill, more McDonald’s and less Five Guys. However, returning drama “The Diplomat” is Netflix’s rarity: a great show.
Now streaming all six episodes of its second season, “The Diplomat” builds on the first season’s cliffhanger, involving a bombing in central London that kills Hal (Rufus Sewell), soon-to-be ex-husband of U.S. Ambassador to England Kate Wyler , possibly turned off. Keri Russel).
It’s not a spoiler to say that Hal survives, as the show is as much about a marriage (as Russell’s “The Americans” on FX was) as it is a political drama. But it’s the interplay between the personal and the political that so often drives the plot this season, including a wildly unpredictable season ending with cliffhangers.
As the second season begins, events characterized as terrorism may have been committed by leaders of the British government, leaving Kate to wonder where the truth lies. Can she trust Prime Minister whisperer Margaret “Meg” Roylin (Celia Imrie)? What about British Foreign Secretary (and potential love interest) Austin Dennison (David Gyasi)?
Kate also has complicated relationships with American colleagues, most notably CIA station chief Eidra Park (scene-stealing Ali Ahn) and doubting Deputy Chief of Mission Stuart Hayford (Ato Essandoh).
Additionally, The West Wing alum Allison Janney joins the cast as U.S. Vice President Grace Penn. Although Janney swims in the same geopolitical waters as in that NBC classic — she even gets one scene with a blackboard in which she’s the smartest person in the room, much like her “West Wing” character, CJ Cregg — Janney’s veep shows sharper edges , criticizes Kate’s appearance, including her hair, which must be a meta-reference 25 years in the making to Russell’s “Felicity” hair debacle.
During a virtual press conference for “The Diplomat” last month, series creator Debora Cahn (“Homeland,” “The West Wing,” “Paterno”) revealed that the events of season two would take place in season one.
“I got through two-thirds of season one and I realized I can’t get through this story in the allotted time, so it was removed,” she said. “We were able to take what was about to happen at the climax of season one and turn it into the entirety of season two.”
Russell said season one was about Kate being a fish out of water in her new role as U.S. ambassador to England, but season two largely leaves that theme behind.
“Something traumatic happened,” Russell said, “so we’re just going to deal with it. There isn’t as much time for self-reflection and all the things she’s doing wrong.”
And Hal’s injury interrupts the couple’s planned divorce.
“There’s a lot of emotional dust in the air,” Sewell said of Kate and Hal. “There is reconciliation. That happens. But that doesn’t mean that all those other changes have disappeared.”
Kate’s experience in her new job gives her more insight into Hal’s choices while he was U.S. ambassador to Lebanon.
“She’s in a position where she can see parts of herself in him,” Sewell said. “She thought it was him, but maybe it’s the job.”
Russell said her favorite moments on the show are the little ones, like ripping off her husband’s Band-Aid in the midst of a high-stakes geopolitical crisis.
“They’re like two real, generally crappy, brilliant people and our goal is to capture those real moments with this giant backdrop,” she said.
Cahn said she was happy to have the opportunity to work with Janney again (Cahn was a writer for “The West Wing”), but she was also nervous.
“I was terrified for a long time that I wouldn’t be able to write at all anymore, because I had worked with her a long time ago, and it was really wonderful. And twenty years later, would it be just as good? Cahn said. “I didn’t want it to just be ‘West Wing.’ I wanted it to be its own thing. I wanted the character to be something new that would be relevant to the ecosystem we built.”
In the final seconds of the season, Janney’s Penn proves to be that and more.
‘Music by John Williams’
Fans of film scores from the past 50 years might want to check out “Music by John Williams,” a 105-minute documentary streaming Nov. 1 on Disney+ about the genius composer behind the themes from “Star Wars,” “Jaws,” ‘ ET” and the Indiana Jones and Harry Potter series.
Even if you think you remember all of Williams’s scores, it’s still a shock to hear brief excerpts from so much entertainment in the first five minutes of the documentary and realize how much of Williams’ recognizable music dominates American culture, from the original “Superman” theme to “Home Alone” to “Jurassic Park” to NBC’s Olympic marching band.
“It seems like these themes have always been with us,” says Seth McFarlane, one of more than a dozen interview subjects in the documentary. “He sat down and discovered them and now they are part of our collective psyche.”
RIP Anne Linaberger
Condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of former KDKA-TV news director Anne Linaberger, who died last week at the age of 62 after a short illness.
Prior to her 20-year stint at KDKA as an executive producer and editorial assistant, Linaberger worked at WTAE-AM and WTAE-TV as a news reporter and producer. A celebration of Linaberger’s life will be held at 11 a.m. on November 16 at Northmont Presbyterian Church.
Channel surfing
SportsNet Pittsburgh will offer alternate coverage of the Penguins game, hosted by Hannah Mears and Max Talbot and titled “Unobstructed Views,” on streaming via SportsNet Pittsburgh+ and SNP 360 for games airing at 7 p.m. on Nov. 23, Dec. 17 and 11 January. February 4 and March 11. … WQED-TV has made Rick Sebak’s 1991 documentary “George Romero the City of the Living Dead” available for the first time on streaming via WQED Passport. … Jon Stewart extended his return to “The Daily Show.” He will continue to host Monday nights through 2025. … Netflix renewed “Virgin River” for a seventh season. …Amazon’s Prime Video renewed “The Legend of Vox Machina” for a fourth season. … Prime Video has brought back the third and final season of “Good Omens” to a single 90 minute episode. …The National Comedy Center in Jamestown, NY, has done that a new exhibitionon view through 2025, honoring the legacy of comedy and civic responsibility of the late TV writer Norman Lear. It contains rare archival material and composite excerpts from Lear’s TV comedies.
You can reach TV writer Rob Owen at [email protected] or 412-380-8559. Follow @RobOwenTV on Threads, X, Bluesky and Facebook. Ask TV questions by email or telephone. Please state your first name and place of residence.