The Diplomat Season 4 promotes these two actors to series regulars

Allison Janney and Bradley Whitford will be the new series regulars in the fourth season of The Diplomat, which will bring Keri Russell back to handle another chapter of political matters.

In the second season, Allison Janney was initially introduced as the vice president Grace Penn, working alongside President William Rayburn (the Better Call Saul alum Michael McKean). The season finale seemingly left viewers on a cliffhanger note as Rayburn died, possibly at the hands of Hal Wyler (Rufus Sewell), complicating things even further.

After that, Janney's Grace Penn was supposed to be the new president of the United States, opening the doors for Keri Russell's Kate Wyler to fulfill her dreams of being a vice president. That's why the next season will bring Penn's husband, Todd Penn, as the First Gentleman, played by the Get Out star Bradley Whitford.

With The Diplomat season 4, Janney and Whitford will be central to the show's plot as they are promoted from guest stars to series regulars. It's not the first time these two actors have worked together, let alone on a project with real-life parallels and political underscore. They were also in the NBC series, The West Wing, where Janney played C. J. Cregg, while Whitford played Josh Lyman.

Let's look at what else we know about the third season, which is supposed to arrive soon on Netflix.

Here's what we know about The Diplomat Season 3

The first season of The Diplomat earned so much praise that Netflix renewed it soon and brought another season within a year. Eventually, it received a third season renewal, and before its debut online, the streamer went ahead with another season of this sharp political thriller series, created by showrunner and executive producer Debora Cahn.

Until then, here's what fans can expect from the third season, according to Netflix's Tudum:

"When we pick up for Season 3 of The Diplomat, Kate has just accused Vice President Grace Penn (Allison Janney) of hatching a terrorist plot and admitted she’s after the VP’s job. But now the president is dead, Kate’s husband Hal (Rufus Sewell) may have inadvertently killed him, and Grace Penn is leader of the free world."

It further reads:

"None of this slows Hal’s campaign to land Kate the vice presidency. Kate steps into a role she never wanted, with a freedom she never expected, an increasingly complicated friendship with Foreign Secretary Austin Dennison (David Gyasi), and an unnerving bond with First Gentleman Todd Penn (Whitford)."

The cast of this season will also include David Gyasi, Ali Ahn, and Ato Essandoh as Austin Dennison, Eidra Park, and Stuart Heyford, respectively. As said before, Allison Janney and Bradley Whitford will have more prominent roles in the show's new season. Here's what showrunner Debora Cahn said about collaborating with them in a statement, shared by TheWrap:

“Working with Allison and Brad, watching them together again, and the off-the-charts foursome that is them with Keri and Rufus… It’s an insane bag of candy. Our expectations were high, and it blew right past them.”

The Diplomat Season 3 arrives October 16, 2025, while the fourth season is yet to receive a release date.

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Also read: The Diplomat Season 4 already gets a new filming update

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