Acclaimed Netflix drama series finally scores first major award win

When awards season rolls around every year, we inevitably have our favorite picks that we hope to see not only nominated but win its deserving honors. But that's unfortunately not always the case. Sometimes are favorites are snubbed for nominations and sometimes the chips simply don't fall in our favor. Thankfully, The Diplomat fans can finally celebrate an long-awaited win.

Since the political drama series made its premiere on Netflix back in 2023, Keri Russell has been consistently nominated for every major award for her stunning performance as Kate Wyler. She's landed Primetime Emmy, Golden Globe, Critics' Choice, and Actor Award nominations but hadn't taken home a win — until now! Russell won an Actor Award for The Diplomat season 3.

Keri Russell wins Actor Award for The Diplomat

During the 32nd Annual Actor Awards ceremony on March 1, which streamed live on Netflix, Russell was clearly surprised and excited when her name was called by presenters Connor Storrie and Kathryn Hahn as the winner in the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series category. When taking the stage for her acceptance speech, she was overwhelmed and grateful.

It's not only Russell's first major award win for The Diplomat, but it's also the show's first major award win. Despite landing multiple nominations at the Primetime Emmy Awards, Golden Globes, and Actor Awards in the past, the series has only won an Astra Award, again for Russell's performance. It's long overdue recognition for one of TV's best dramas and most criminally underrated actresses.

Russell previously won a Golden Globe Award in 1999 for her breakthrough performance as Felicity Porter in The WB drama series Felicity. Despite landing multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her role in FX's spy thriller The Americans, which some view as the star's most impressive television role to date, she never take home a major award for the series.

Based on that fact, don't be surprised if you see more than a few "pretending this win is for The Americans" posts on social media. We can joke that Russell's Actor Award win definitely rights the wrong that she was never awarded for her previously series, but she most definitely deserves the recognition for the brilliant balancing act she brings to The Diplomat.

Without Russell's unique talents leading the way for Debora Cahn's thrilling political drama, the series wouldn't have the same unique energy. She's somehow both funny and fierce as Kate Wyler, a diplomat thrust into an impossible situation overseas that just continues to get more and more complicated with each passing season. Not to mention her fraught marriage that ends up in the White House.

Now getting its first award win from one of the major awards season associations, The Diplomat goes into season 4 with renewed visibility. Filming on the upcoming season continues through this summer for a confirmed release later this year. It's sure to be the show's best season yet, and there's no doubt we're riding this high all the way to the Emmys.