If you're old enough (meaning not that old at all), you'll remember a golden age of TV when one season reliably followed the next on an annual basis, if not slightly more regularly than that. Many mainstream shows would also pack dozens of episodes into one of those seasons, making for basically nonstop production schedules to keep the show front of mind for viewers.
The age of streaming might have brought in a range of top streaming services to give maximum choice to people, but it's also seemingly coincided with a much slower pace of production. Many shows take years between seasons, have weird episode counts and plot holes as a result – but Netflix has just demonstrated that at least one of its franchises can move at lightning pace.
The Diplomat's second season came out in October 2024, which really isn't that long ago at all, but it just got a season 3 trailer already. I've embedded it below.
The Diplomat Season 3 teaser trailer
When does The Diplomat season 3 come out?
The teaser trailer ends with the promise that The Diplomat will return in "Fall 2025", and if I were advising anyone to take a gamble, I'd say that almost certainly means October again. After all, Netflix was likely shooting for an annual release from the start, and that would fulfil its wishes.
With a 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes for its second season, the show will be looking to capitalise on that success and get back in front of viewers nice and speedily, which looks likely to happen now.
There's another welcome addition to the cast coming, too – Bradley Whitford, reunited with Alison Janney decades on from them both starring in The West Wing. Is it funny that they're both playing characters in very similar positions to those old roles? A little, yes, but it'll be heartwarming for fans of the older show.
In terms of actual plot, the teaser doesn't give much away, but we should see more of Keri Russell scrambling to keep on top of crisis after crisis, all the while continuing to toe a fine line with her partner, Rufus Sewell. It's what made the show a hit, after all – don't expect it to change too much.
