Netflix's The Diplomat is one of the most popular political thrillers on the platform right now. Its brilliant storyline is fused with tensions about interpersonal relationships between countries and characters, sometimes making the show seem too real.
The show follows Keri Russell's Kate Wyler as she navigates her breaking marriage with Rufus Sewell's Hal Wyler and her new position as the ambassador to the United Kingdom.
Kate finds herself in a whirlwind of international conspiracy amidst her failing marriage. In addition to Russell's impeccable acting, which makes the show appear authentic, the choice of a woman protagonist in such a position also adds to the realism.
While The Diplomat might seem real, the show is not based on a specific real-life story. Many instances in the show seem a little close to the real world, especially the sexism Kate faces in her line of work, but they are not based on any real-life ambassador.
More about creator Debora Cahn's inspiration for The Diplomat in our story.
Creator Debora Cahn was inspired by her meeting with U.S. ambassadors for The Diplomat
The tension infused within the political atmosphere of the show is not unfamiliar in the real world, as international conspiracies and tensions between two countries are always the talk of the town.
The Netflix thriller is not based on a real-life story but follows a fictionalized tale of a woman suddenly involved in an international conspiracy. However, Cahn revealed that she was inspired by the show after her meeting with US ambassadors while writing for Homeland.
The relationship between Kate and Hal is also fictional on the show, as Cahn wanted to depict the toll it takes on a relationship to survive in a politically charged environment.
Exploring real-life references in The Diplomat. Is it an actual portrayal of the political world?
While the show's story is fiction, it does make some real-life references. In addition to the obvious recent events like the Russian-Ukrainian War, the show made a particular real-life reference in Season 1 Episode 2.
The Diplomat made a reference to the killing of Qasem Soleimani. He was a real-life Iranian military officer who was assassinated in 2020 by a US drone attack. He was believed to have plans to attack the country.
While there were real-life references, which made the show feel more grounded, the people actually associated with politics in real life had different opinions.
According to an unnamed British diplomat in an interview with The Guardian, he admitted that the interactions between the characters are highly fictional,
“I wouldn’t say there’s a huge amount of effort gone into understanding or reflecting protocol: the way the foreign office interacts with No 10, and the way it interacts with embassies. They have played pretty fast and loose with those relationships.”
Brett Bruen, director of global engagement for the Obama White House, was also disappointed in how the show steered off actual diplomacy,
“What was particularly disappointing is that this carries on a long tradition of shows that put a foreign policy focus in the title, and then veer completely off into something that has nothing or little to do with actual diplomacy.”
While these statements can be refuted, considering the show did not claim to have ties with any real-life events, the events indeed felt real to common people watching the show from the comfort of their homes.
Catch both seasons of The Diplomat on Netflix now.
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