The Diplomat Has Achieved Something Most Netflix Original Shows Never Do
It seems like Netflix is always giving subscribers something to complain about, canceling our favorite shows before they even get a chance to spread their wings. But recently, the streamer gave fans a reason to rejoice when it renewed the hit show "The Diplomat" for Season 5.
The juicy political drama stars Keri Russell as diplomat Kate Wyler, with Allison Janney as President Grace Penn. Season 4 ended with a bombshell, as Kate resigned from her position following President Penn's escalation of a conflict between the U.S. and Russia. Her husband, Vice President Hal Wyler (Rufus Sewell), left his post as well. "How f***ing cool," said Russell of the finale, speaking with Deadline.
"How fantastic to blow everything up," Sewell added. With Season 5 on the horizon, "The Diplomat" has joined a small group of scripted adult Netflix series that have hit the five-season mark.
How many Netflix shows have run for five seasons or more?
We crunched the numbers and tallied up the longest-running Netflix originals to give you a sense of how "The Diplomat" fits in. By our count, only 17 scripted adult Netflix originals — now 18, if you include "The Diplomat" — have run or are expected to run for five seasons or longer. At the high end of the list, only three shows — "Big Mouth," "Elite," and "Virgin River" (which was renewed for Season 8 before its Season 7 premiere) — have lasted for eight seasons. A nine-season Netflix show? Well, that would be a miracle.
There's been no confirmation yet whether Season 5 of "The Diplomat," will be its last, but according to creator Debora Cahn, there's reason to be optimistic. She told Deadline that while she has an idea of where she wants the story to go, she doesn't know how long that journey might take. "I knew this season where I wanted to land," Cahn explained. "But if we find something better, I'm going for that or if we find that these characters have grown into something that isn't what I anticipated."
Here's hoping we get to watch Kate Wyler and her cohort grow for many seasons to come and maybe break some Netflix records in the process.