It's nice to build from a position of strength, and that's certainly an approach that makes sense to many of the biggest and best streaming services on the market. If you have a show that's doing big numbers in terms of audience and also getting rave reviews from critics, don't let it languish with long gaps between seasons unless you can't avoid it.
What Netflix hasn't managed to nail with Wednesday, which has taken ages to bring its second season to fruition, it's very much smashing out of the park with The Diplomat. This political thriller is back for a third season in just a few weeks, with the official date of 16 October now confirmed by Netflix itself with another short teaser trailer to accompany the news.
The show's seemingly gone from strength to strength over time, too, despite a shooting schedule that seems impressively slick and quick. After its first season scored 84% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, the second raised that nicely to a stellar 96%. I very much hope that people involved in the production don't have bonuses tied to critical reception, but if they do, then they're probably thrilled with those numbers.
That said, it means there isn't much more headroom for improvement in the third season, so the game becomes more about consistency and maintaining those levels over time. From what this trailer and the teasers that have preceded it have shown, that looks pretty likely. All the major players are returning, including Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell in the lead roles that have been getting them plenty of praise.
This time around, they're going to have to deal with a new breed of problem – Allison Janney's character just took the stage as the new US President, and they're both fully aware of her shortcomings. How that little foible unfolds will doubtless be key to the season as it goes on, but the ever-deepening complexity of the main married couple's relationship is also a central concern once again.
All this will take place against the backdrop of international politics and diplomacy, and you can safely expect some of this to deliberately echo or comment on real-world events. It's been a tumultuous time, after all, so the writers have doubtless got plenty of material to work with.
