Netflix's 'Homeland Meets The West Wing' Political Series Deserves All 10 Of Its Emmy Nominations

Published Sep 11, 2026, 9:00 PM EDT

Casey Duby is an avid TV writer, watcher, and reviewer. She graduated from Emerson College in 2021 with a focus in Writing for Film and Television, where she wrote several pilots and watched countless more. She's been working in television ever since.

Casey loves thoughtful content that makes her ponder our world and the people in it, and she's learned that any genre can surprise her. With favorites in every genre from horror to politics, family to action, nothing is off limits.

Casey has experience working in TV development and writing scripted shows. Currently working as a Writer/Critic in Los Angeles, with an AMC A-List membership to boot, she is always hunting for the next good story and great theme song.

When it premiered in 1999, NBC's The West Wing was offering a new kind of political drama. As creator Aaron Sorkin has frequently acknowledged, most political dramas on television had long been saturated with series that painted politicians as either sinister or incompetent.

The West Wing's Bartlet administration, though, was made up of "patriots" who believed that "government is a place where we can all come together and no one gets left behind." The show was fast-paced and idealistic, populated by near-genius characters who used their powers for good.

12 years after the launch of The West Wing, Homeland came out and offered a complete 180 from Sorkin's earnest political utopia. With Homeland's focus on terrorism and the CIA, the show was shrouded in suspicion, tension, and a general sentiment that disaster loomed around every corner. Throughout the show, trust and loyalty were thin and constantly shifting.

Claire Danes' Carrie Mathison was passionate and intuitive, but she was also erratic and professionally unpredictable. Though her own career had its share of disgrace, she was far from the only flawed figure in the show. Towards the end of the series, she took on an entire presidential administration for the unjust arrest of hundreds of intelligence officers.

The West Wing and Homeland offered very different takes on the political world, but in 2023 another drama entered the scene and managed to blend elements from both classic hits. Netflix's The Diplomat has struck a fresh and exciting tone of its own that has more than earned the 10 Emmys season 3 is nominated for.

The Diplomat Treats Politicians With A Unique Blend Of Cynicism And Respect

Led by Keri Russell's Kate Wyler, the United States' ambassador to the United Kingdom, The Diplomat ambitiously follows the inner workings of both countries' administrations. Both Kate and her husband (and now Vice President), Hal, have unmatched political minds capable of seeing the whole board and staying one step ahead in every situation.

Like The West Wing, the Wylers primarily use their abilities for good and seem to have the best interests of their people at heart. However, the show has gone on to show that there is a fine line between strategizing and scheming, and every major character has, at one point or another, been unable to stop themselves from making a move that is politically genius yet ethically ambiguous.

This ambiguity is what makes The Diplomat so compelling. Its characters contain multitudes, making them both interesting and difficult to trust despite their seemingly genuine good intentions.

Often, The Diplomat's characters are earnest in their efforts to do the right thing for international harmony. Yet as much as they all want to do great things together, there is an undertone of suspicion, even within a marriage, as Kate and Hal know the other may see a way to gain the upper hand and not be able to resist taking it.

Through it all, though, Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell's impressive performances leave the impression that their intentions are good, making it difficult not to hear them out and see their master plans through to the finish line.

The Diplomat Makes Complex International Politics Entertaining

Image via Netflix

The Diplomat's plot is massive in scope as it juggles characters and stories that unfold across continents. It's these themes of trust, strategy, and power that bring the story down to an intimate, digestible level. With plot lines involving carrier ships and undersea explosives, none of which viewers ever see, the stakes run the risk of feeling convoluted and amorphous.

Ultimately, though, The Diplomat makes these situations ones of strategy and trust. Lost ships and bombs in international waters sufficiently raise the stakes, but the real question is which politicians will outmaneuver whom to come out on top, and whether trustworthy figures will remain trustworthy on the other end.

The Diplomat has earned 10 nominations at this year's Emmys, including Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Lead Actor and Actress for both Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell, awards that would all be well-deserved.