commentary

Netflix’s hit drama recalls eras when presidents and their spouses were intellectual equals

Published October 22, 2026 12:00PM (EDT)

( Nick Wall/Netflix © 2026)

Say what you will about the first and second couples at the heart of “The Diplomat” – and by now they’ve generated plenty of gossip fodder – but nobody would question the resilience of their unions. Kate Wyler ( Keri Russell ) and her husband, Hal ( Rufus Sewell ), have certainly had their ups and downs; the series begins with them contemplating divorce just as Kate is thrust into an ambassadorship to Britain.

The more politically seasoned Hal manipulates Kate into staying with him, kicking off a multi-season barrage of wheedling and scheming that culminates in President Grace Hagen Penn ( Allison Janney ) picking him as her vice president.

Over four seasons of Debora Cahn’s transatlantic political drama, Kate has been instrumental in keeping the highly tenuous special relationship between Britain and America from crumbling, even as…