6 actually good shows like The Diplomat

The Diplomat is once again one of the hottest shows on Netflix! The Diplomat season 2 just premiered on Oct. 31, and fans all over the world bing-watching the new season of the Netflix political thriller starring Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell. In fact, it's now No. 1 on the Netflix Top 10.

Created by Debora Cahn, who also worked on Homeland and The West Wing, The Diplomat tells the story of US Ambassador to the UK Kate Wyler, played by Russell, and her husband, former US Ambassador Hal Wyler. After a British aircraft carrier is bombed, Kate and Hal use their resources and smarts to de-escalate the crisis and find out what actually happened.

There are two seasons of The Diplomat streaming on Netflix right now, and there's a third season officially on the way. The Diplomat season 2 is only six episodes, so it's a really quick binge-watch. We know fans are looking for other good political thrillers to watch right now.

If you're looking for good shows like The Diplomat, we have six perfect shows for you.

Homeland

Where to watch: Hulu

Homeland feels the most similar to The Diplomat, although it's not about ambassadors or other diplomats. It's instead about the agents of the Central Intelligence Agency who are responsible for thwarting attacks on Americans and their allies at home and abroad.

Created by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa, Homeland stars Claire Danes as Agent Carey Mulligan, an agent who learns a former US marine who was captured in Afghanistan has been turned and is planning an attack on the United States. Throughout the series, Carey tries to get to the bottom of the mystery. Mandy Patinkin, Damian Lewis, Morena Baccarin, Morgan Saylor, Rupert Friend, F. Murray Abraham, and more star alongside Danes in the series.

There are eight seasons of Homeland to stream on Hulu right now. The series premiered on Showtime in 2011 and ended in 2020.

Scandal

Where to watch: Hulu and Tubi

If you like the drama and high stakes of The Diplomat, you're going to love Scandal! Created by Shonda Rhimes, Scandal tells the story of Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington), a high-level lawyer who is hired to fix the problems of famous and well-connected people. Olivia is also very close with the President of the United States Fitzgerald Grant III (Tony Goldwyn). Olivia tries to help President Grant navigate various political crises.

Scandal premiered on ABC in 2012 and ran for seven seasons on the network through 2019. In addition to Washington and Goldwyn, Scandal also stars Bellamy Young, Columbus Short, Darby Stanchfield, Katie Lowes, Guillermo Diaz, Joshua Malina, Scott Foley, and more.

You can't go wrong with Scandal if you're a fan of The Diplomat!

The Americans

Where to watch: Hulu

The Americans is the best show on this list, and it's not particularly close. It's also the only show on this list starring Keri Russell. If you're a fan of Russell, you just have to watch The Americans. It's brilliant; she's brilliant.

Created by Joe Weisberg and Joe Fields, The Americans tells the story of two Soviet spies, Philip and Elizabeth Jennings, played by Mathew Rhys and Keri Russell, who are living in the Washington D.C. area and sharing intel with the Russians. Oh, and their neighbor and friend happens to be a top FBI agent trying to stop Russian spies from infiltrating the United States and stealing secrets.

The series premiered on FX in 2013 and ran for six seasons through 2018. You're so lucky that you don't have to wait in between seasons if you're just discovering The Americans for the first time. You can watch all six seasons right now!

The Night Agent

Where to watch: Netflix

We had to include The Night Agent, The Diplomat's fellow Netflix show, on the list! The Night Agent premiered around the same time as The Diplomat season 1 and was a monster hit on Netflix. The series was created by Shawn Ryan and stars Gabriel Basso, Lucianne Buchanan,

The Night Agent tells the story of Peter Sutherland, an FBI agent who works with the Night Agent program and manning the phone in a secret room in the basement of the White House. When Peter gets a mysterious call from a non-Night Agent, he gets caught up in a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of the US government.

The Night Agent season 2 is coming to Netflix very soon! It's slated for an early 2025 premiere date, but we still don't the release date yet. We'll share The Night Agent season 2 premiere date when we find out.

We also just learned that The Night Agent season 3 is officially in the works on Netflix! We're expecting the season to arrive sometime in early 2026, but we'll have to wait and see!

Borgen

Where to watch: Netflix

Borgen is the only non-US show on this list, but the Danish Netflix original series is definitely similar to The Diplomat. The series was created by Adam Price, and it stars Sidse Babett Knudsen, Birgitte Hjort Sørensen, Pilou Asbæk, and Søren Malling.

Borgen tells the story of Birgitte Nyborg, played by Knudsen, who becomes Denmark's female Prime Minister. Throughout the series, Birgitte deals with various dramatic political events and issues facing the country.

There are four seasons of Borgen available to stream on Netflix right now.

Madam Secretary

Where to watch: Netflix

In terms of premise and plot, Madam Secretary is probably the most similar to The Diplomat of the shows on the list. Madam Secretary does have a much more broadcast TV feel than The Diplomat, which is obviously more like a premium cable/streaming drama.

Created by Barbara Hall, Madam Secretary follows Elizabeth McCord (Téa Leoni), the Secretary of State of the United States. In the series, Secretary McCord deals with diplomatic issues of the US while also managing her personal life. It's not easy for those in the political arena, as we see in Madam Secretary.

The series premiered on CBS in 2014 and ran for six seasons on the network through 2019. You can watch all six seasons of Madam Secretary on Netflix right now.

That's the list of shows to watch like The Diplomat! We bet you can watch all six before The Diplomat season 3 hits Netflix.