The Diplomat season 4: Release date speculation and latest news
Things have been left on another massive cliffhanger. **CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR THE DIPLOMAT SEASON 3**
*Warning - contains full spoilers for all eight episodes of The Diplomat season 3*
The third season of The Diplomat picks up right where season 2 left off. Allison Janney's Grace Penn is now president, leaving Kate and Hal scrambling.
What follows is eight episodes full of dramatic twists and turns. Hal is made vice president, while Kate decides to stay behind in London and remain as the ambassador. Plus, a diplomatic nightmare begins between the UK and the US when the latter's involvement in the bombing of HMS Courageous comes to light.
As you might expect, the season also ends on another major cliffhanger, with Kate starting to seriously worry about Hal and Grace's relationship, and their intentions.
But, given all this, can fans expect the show to pick up with these storylines in a fourth season? And how long might they have to wait to see it?
Read on for everything you need to know about The Diplomat season 4.
Will there be The Diplomat season 4?
There will! In fact, Netflix has shown such confidence in the series that it renewed it back in May, five months before season 3 even debuted.
When will The Diplomat season 4 be released?
We don't yet know when The Diplomat season 4 will be released, but given the early renewal, and the fact it is expected to go into production this autumn, we hopefully shouldn't have to wait too long.
Seasons 2 and 3 came out almost exactly a year apart, so if the show keeps to the same schedule, we might expect to see season 4 being released in October 2026.
We will keep this page updated as and when we get any further updates.
What will The Diplomat season 4 be about?
We don't yet know full details of what to expect in season 4, but we're sure it will pick up after that massive cliffhanger, which saw Kate realise that Hal and Grace had authorised an American sub to take The Poseidon, a hugely powerful salted bomb, from a Russian sub in British waters.
Kate noted that should the Brits find out, they would consider it an act of war. Meanwhile, if the Russians found out, they would likely believe it was the Brits that took it, and could even attack the UK as a response.
The cliffhanger also saw Kate and Todd question the closeness of Hal and Grace's relationship, just as Kate looked to rekindle her marriage to Hal. Are they just trusting colleagues, or is there something else going on?
It seems likely these questions will be further posed in season 4, while Kate also continues to choose between Hal and her new boyfriend, Callum. Plus, there's still the feelings she shares with British Foreign Secretary Austin Dennison, despite him now being a married man.
Who will return to star in The Diplomat season 4?
We already know for certain that Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell will be back as Kate and Hal Wyler in season 4, and that they will be joined once again by Allison Janney and Bradley Whitford, who have been promoted to series regulars for the new run.
When that was announced, creator Debora Cahn said in a statement: "Working with Allison and Brad, watching them together again, and the off-the-charts foursome that is them with Keri and Rufus… It’s an insane bag of candy. Our expectations were high, and it blew right past them."
Meanwhile, we are expecting the rest of the central cast of the series to all be back, including David Gyasi, Ali Ahn, Ato Essandoh, and Rory Kinnear.
However, one star who we're not expecting to see return is Celia Imrie as Meg Roylin, after her character took her own life at the start of season 3.
Here's a full list of the cast members we're expecting to see in The Diplomat season 4:
- Keri Russell as Kate Wyler
- Rufus Sewell as Hal Wyler
- David Gyasi as Austin Dennison
- Ali Ahn as Eidra Park
- Rory Kinnear as Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge
- Ato Essandoh as Stuart Hayford
- Allison Janney as Vice President Grace Penn
- Bradley Whitford as Todd Penn
- Aidan Turner as Callum Ellis
- Tracy Ifeachor as Thema
- Pandora Colin as Lydia Trowbridge
- Nana Mensah as Billie Appiah
- Miguel Sandoval as Miguel Ganon
- Rosaline Elbay as Nora
- Alysia Reiner as Ivy Griffin
Is there a trailer for The Diplomat season 4?
There isn't a trailer available for The Diplomat season 4 just yet, but we will make sure to add one in as soon as it is released. For now, you can rewatch the trailer for season 3 here.
The Diplomat season 3 is available to stream now on Netflix. Seasons 1-2 are also available – sign up from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
