The Diplomat season 3: Everything we know so far

To the aggravation of her enemies, Kate Wyler's staying put in her role as the U.S. Ambassador! The Diplomat season 3 was officially renewed by Netflix on Oct. 10, three weeks ahead of the highly anticipated release of the political thriller's second season. There's much more political drama yet to unfold for Kate, especially after season 2's shocking ending.

As season 3 continues production, viewers will be eager to learn anything and everything they can about the new episodes, including where filming is taking place, how many episode there will be, and what could happen next in the series. We're sharing everything to know so far about The Diplomat season 3 as updates are revealed by Netflix.

The Diplomat season 3 now filming

On the same day as the season 3 renewal, Netflix revealed that filming was already underway on the third season, with production taking place in London and New York City this time around. The production's split between the two cities allows for series creator Debora Cahn and series star Keri Russell to be closer to their families in New York.

Because production on season 2 was interrupted by the 2023 Hollywood labor strikes, we can't apply its production schedule to season 3. The second season began filming in June 2023 and halted production once the actor's stike took effect. Filming ultimately concluded sometime in the spring of 2024, which a series star confirmed in early June.

Although season 2 only contained six episodes per the creator's choice, season 3 will once again contain eight episodes like the first season. The longer episode count will extend the filming timeline, but not by much. We're predicting season 3 will wrap filming at some point in early 2025 for a release later that year, in either summer at the earliest or sometime in the fall.

Release Prediction: Summer or Fall 2025

Main and recurring cast members

For the second season, The Diplomat's main cast was unchanged, and that's expected to be the case for season 3 — unless there are any potential additions or promotions for recurring characters. Emmy Award nominee Keri Russell will of course be back in the leading role as Kate Wyler, with Rufus Sewell by her side as Kate's best frenemy husband and trusted sounding board Hal.

Here's the talented main cast of the show expected to return for season 3:

• Keri Russell as Kate Wyler
• Rufus Sewell as Hal Wyler
• David Gyasi as Austin Dennison (UK Foreign Secretary)
• Ali Ahn as Eidra Park (CIA station chief)
• Rory Kinnear as Nicol Trowbridge (UK Prime Minister)
• Ato Essandoh as Stuart Hayford (U.S. embassy deputy chief of mission)

In addition to the show's small but mighty main cast, there's an extensive supporting and guest cast that makes up its expansive fictional political universe. Based on the events of season 2 (no spoilers yet!), some of the below key recurring players could either see their roles reduced or increased, but they will surely be seen again in season 3 in some capacity.

These are the most frequently seen recurring stars expected to appear in season 3:

• Celia Imrie as Margaret Roylin
• Miguel Sandoval as Miguel Ganon (U.S. Secretary of State)
• Nana Mensah as Billie Appiah (White House Chief of Staff)
• Michael McKean as President William Rayburn
• Allison Janney as Vice President Grace Penn

WARNING: Major spoilers from The Diplomat season 2 ahead!

What could happen next in season 3

If you haven't watched or finished The Diplomat season 2, look away now! Here's where the spoilers begin, and we're not sugar coating anything.

In season 2 episode 5, Kate learns that Vice President Grace Penn gave Roylin the idea to hire Lenkov to shoot the ship. This information rattles Kate, but ultimately leads her to the realization that she wants to become vice president and that they need to inform Secretary of State Ganon of Penn's role in the attack. Well, Hal doesn't exactly do what he's told.

Instead of calling Ganon to reveal the damning information he learned about Grace Penn from Margaret Roylin, Hal takes the news directly to President Rayburn. Unfortunately, hearing the news about his VP causes Rayburn so much stress that he has a heart attack and dies. In the final seconds of season 2, Penn immediately becomes the President of the United States.

Obviously, there are a number of questions and ramifications that arise from Rayburn's death and Penn's rise to the presidency. Penn knows that the Wylers know what she did. Will Penn name Kate her vice president to keep her enemies closer? How will Kate react to Hal inadvertently causing the death of the president? Will Kate even want to pursue the vice presidency anymore?

Prepare for another juicy rollercoaster ride in The Diplomat season 3 as Kate's woes only continue to grow and become more and more politically complicated.

Watch The Diplomat only on Netflix.