THE DIPLOMAT Season 5 is Coming |

The Diplomat Season 5 is Coming

I just wanted to take a minute to tell you about this Netflix series. There are NO SPOILERS in this article.

The Diplomat is phenomenal. Full stop.

First of all, as I have sometimes opined here at TechnoThriller Central, many streaming shows lately seem to be crammed with filler. Eight-episode seasons really could just be three. One-hour episodes could be twenty minutes. Shows that begin with thirty-minute episodes slowly build to sixty-minute installments or even longer. It’s a business, so the more episodes there are means the more advertising dollars studios can generate, but it is becoming tiresome to sit through filler. Long scenes with no point, story threads with no clear connection to the overall plot, or, in a few extreme cases, entire episodes unrelated to the actual show itself.

There have been a few shows recently that have bucked this trend and are fast-moving, tense, innovative, and essential to the story. One is AppleTV’s Widow’s Bay, a show I just loved. Another is His & Hers, a six-episode emotional and intense murder mystery.

The Scoop on The Diplomat and Season 5 News (No Spoilers)

Recently, I had heard rumblings of The Diplomat’s fourth season. I hadn’t seen the show before, but I knew a bit about it. I knew the stars — Keri Russell and Rufus Sewell — but that was about it. Because of the rave reviews of Season 4, I decided to give the show a chance. It’s not my usual genre — it’s a political drama — but what a gem this show is. In short, there’s no filler, it’s chock-full of story threads that are all relevant to the main characters, it’s about geopolitics and major political events, and you can’t look at your phone during it. Not for one second. It’s that intense. The episodes move so quickly with so many reveals and stunning revelations, that you need to pay strict attention at all times. One of the most interesting things I discovered about Season 1 was the setting in London, England, and the estate for the American ambassador that (strangely) brought back memories of Downton Abbey.

I’ve only seen the first season so far, but I’m watching Season 2 as I write this. The news about Season 5 is coming from Deadline, but I couldn’t read the article due to spoilers, so I’ll just leave the link HERE.

Studio: Netflix
Show: The Diplomat
Creator: Deborah Cahn (The West Wing, Homeland)
Cast: Keri Russell, Rufus Sewell, Ali Ahn, Ato Essandoh, Nana Mensah, David Gyasi
Seasons: 1-4, Season 5 just announced

Pros and Cons

As I often do at Life After Gateway, I include a list of pros and cons. Here they are:

Pros

A unique setting in London, England and the ambassador’s “country” estate
Great characters
The women in the show are strong, independent, and powerful. I want my daughters to watch this
A diverse cast
Compelling story threads with huge implications/stakes
An interesting and mature relationship between Kate and Hal
Many underlying plot threads that weave throughout the show
The overall mystery (Season 1) is compelling with many twists
A good backstory that is revealed through conversations
A riveting show; you can’t look away or you’ll miss something
Many plot threads are laid down for future development — maybe (I still don’t know the answers!)
Frequent shocking reveals

Cons

I can’t think of any … if I did, it’d be nitpicking … but still, nothing is coming to me

To Conclude … with a BONUS Trailer!

As more news arrives, I’ll post it here at Life After Gateway. In the meantime, here’s the trailer for the show’s first season. If you haven’t seen the series, start it now. I can’t stress that enough. The Diplomat and Widow’s Bay are new remarkable streaming series that I have watched in recent weeks, and I haven’t regretted spending time with these characters and stories. Not one minute. I want more.

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A Blanket of Steel by Timothy S. Johnston and from Fitzhenry & Whiteside, LTD. is the recipient of the 2024 GLOBAL Thriller Award GRAND PRIZE and the 2024 CYGNUS Award First in Category.

— Timothy S. Johnston, 4 November 2026

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Praise for Timothy S. Johnston’s A Blanket of Steel

“Fans of Clive Cussler’s NUMA Files will be delighted with Timothy S. Johnston’s undersea novels. Truman McClusky and Dirk Pitt are cut from the same adventurer’s cloth.” — Nick Cutter, author of The Deep and The Troop

“Action that ranges from close range combat to torpedo-fueled attacks. The result is a thriller that keeps moving from confrontation to confrontation … with constant danger and the vast depths of the ocean as a setting, there is always reason to keep reading.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Read the book and prepare to be blown away by one of the best writers I have ever had the pleasure to read. Timothy S. Johnston is simply amazing.” — FIVE Stars from Readers’ Favorite

“A Blanket of Steel is not simply a ‘daring do’ thriller … It’s prescient.” — Amazing Stories

“A priority selection. An action-packed story that is hard to put down. A Blanket of Steel is outstanding.” — D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

“Innovative technology, Mac taking risks no one else would dare and thinking his way through to brilliant solutions … But the stakes are higher than they’ve ever been before. This is it. The countdown to the final battle … Johnston does an excellent job of keeping the tension taut as he plays with the reader’s perceptions of characters we thought we knew and trusted …” — SFcrowsnest

“Expect to be left breathless. Trust me here. Please. I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.” — Michael Libling, author of The Serial Killer’s Son Takes A Wife and Hollywood North: A Novel in Six Reels

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A BLANKET OF STEEL is out now!

WATCH THE GRIPPING BOOK TRAILER HERE.

FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS CLICK HERE

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A Blanket of Steel from Timothy S. Johnston and Fitzhenry & Whiteside, Ltd.

Book Cover & Jacket Copy:

AN UNSTOPPABLE THREAT!

A mysterious assassin has murdered Cliff Sim, Chief Security Officer of the underwater colony, Trieste. Cliff was a mountain of a man, highly trained, and impossible to defeat in combat. And yet …

Someone brutally beat him and left his broken body in a secret Chinese facility at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

And included a calling card for Truman McClusky, Mayor of Trieste.

Taunting him.

Mac has led the underwater colonies in their fight against the world’s superpowers. Climate change has devastated the surface; nations suffer famine, drought, rebellion, rising waters, and apocalyptic coastal flooding. But now, as Mac leads the underwater colonies to freedom and independence, he’s faced with the gravest threat of his life: a Russian assassin, hellbent on killing Mac and everyone he cares for. Now Mac must uncover the identity of the killer, face him in combat, and at the same time lead people in battle against the largest underwater force ever assembled. It’s Mac’s final test, and to win the war, he must use every tool at his disposal, including the most surprising and devastating underwater weapons ever invented.

If Mac fails, all hope is lost for the future of human colonization on the ocean floors.

But the assassin could be anyone …

Watch your back, Mac.

A Blanket of Steel is the most gripping thriller yet in The Rise of Oceania.

FOR PURCHASE OPTIONS CLICK HERE

The other books in The Rise of Oceania series by Timothy S Johnston:

The War Beneath 9781771484718
The Savage Deeps 9781771485067
Fatal Depth 9781554555574
An Island of Light 9781554555819
The Shadow of War 9781554556007