Oscar winner Allison Janney (I, Tonya) is set to guest star on season two of Netflix’s The Diplomat. Janney, who’s no stranger to political dramas after seven seasons of The West Wing, is on board to play Vice President Grace Penn.
Janney earned four Primetime Emmy Awards for her performance as C.J. Cregg on The West Wing, two Emmys for Mom opposite Anna Faris, and one Emmy in the Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for Masters of Sex.
The critically acclaimed The Diplomat, starring Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell, premiered in April 2023. Netflix reports that it claimed the top spot on its weekly Top 10 English-language TV list when it premiered. It also raked in 57.48 million viewing hours over its first weekend in release.
Season one scored an Emmy nomination (for Keri Russell) as well as three Critics Choice, a PGA, a SAG, and two Golden Globe nominations.
The Diplomat was created by showrunner Debora Cahn (The West Wing, Homeland). Cahn executive produces along with series star Keri Russell, Janice Williams, Alex Graves, and Peter Noah. In addition to Russell and Sewell, the first season starred David Gyasi, Ali Ahn, Rory Kinnear, and Ato Essandoh.
“Kate Wyler (Russell) is the new US Ambassador to the United Kingdom. She was supposed to go to Afghanistan. She’s great in a crisis zone. In a historic home… less so. War is brewing on one continent and boiling over on another,” reads Netflix’s season one synopsis. “Kate will have to diffuse international crises, forge strategic alliances in London, and adjust to her new place in the spotlight — all while trying to survive her marriage to fellow career diplomat and political star Hal Wyler (Sewell).
From showrunner Debora Cahn, The Diplomat is a high-stakes, contemporary political drama about the transcendence and torture of long-term relationships, between countries and people.”
