Kate Wyler’s back and more stressed than ever. Netflix released The Diplomat season 3 on Oct. 16, and it didn’t take long for the Emmy Award-nominated political thriller to enter the top 10 most popular shows list. The series returns in the midst of its shocking season 2 cliffhanger that saw President Rayburn unexpectedly passing away and Allison Janney’s character taking office.
It’s another season full of political twists and turns with Keri Russell’s spread-thin ambassador attempting to put out fires before they’re lit. But when you get to the season 3 finale cliffhanger, which features perhaps the show’s most unbelievable twist ever (and last season had a death), you don’t have to worry that it won’t be resolved. Netflix already confirmed season 4 is on the way.
According to What’s on Netflix, The Diplomat season 4 begins filming on November 3, 2025 with production taking place in both the United Kingdom and New York. While it’s exciting that filming on the next season will begin so soon, there’s a potential drawback that could cause some frustration with fans, and that has to do with the wrap date possibly pushing back the release date.
The Diplomat season 4 could release later than usual on Netflix
Even though filming begins this fall, production’s start happens right around the holidays, which means it will carry over into 2026. What’s on Netflix reports that filming likely won’t wrap up until early July 2026. That’s a big longer of a production schedule than usual, considering season 3 filmed between October 2024 and March 2025, ultimately premiering in October 2025.
If The Diplomat season 4 doesn’t wrap filming until July 2026, that means post-production will begin thereafter and continue throughout the summer. The political drama isn’t the kind of show that requires extensive post-production as there aren’t any special effects, but movie magic still takes time. That means the show could miss its annual fall release and be pushed into early 2027.
Obviously, nobody wants that to happen. The Diplomat has been one of the rare Netflix original series that hasn’t taken two years in between seasons. Every year, we have been graced with Kate Wyler and her unstoppable energy. But this could be the first time that the show misses a year due to an extended production cycle, and that could be for a few reasons.
With production beginning in November, there will likely be breaks for both the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, with the break in production at the end of December probably being the longest. But it’s curious that season 4 will have about eight months of filming, if the reports are accurate. (There’s still a chance that season 4 could wrap sooner than July 2026, but we’ll have to wait and see.) Netflix hasn’t shared the episode count, but the show has never exceeded eight episodes.
There’s a possibility that with Allison Janney being promoted to series regular for season 4 that production will have to work around her busy schedule and availability. The Oscar and Emmy winner is consistently starring in multiple productions per year, and now that she’s becoming a bigger presence in The Diplomat, maybe there’s a break in between filming to accommodate her schedule.
Take that with a grain of salt as it’s merely a theory about why season 4 filming has been allegedly allotted for a longer period of time. Hopefully, during any possible breaks or even without them, post-production can take place concurrently with production and we won’t have to worry about a delay into early 2027. Netflix could still manage a release in late 2026 for season 4, but just to be safe, brace for a potentially later reunion with Kate than usual.
Watch The Diplomat only on Netflix.
