feelsalike.comSign in
The Diplomat poster

Shows that feel likeThe Diplomat (2023–)

Amid an international crisis, a US diplomat contends with her high-profile job as ambassador to the UK and her strained marriage to a political star.

If you loved The Diplomat, the closest series we have are Designated Survivor (2016), Bodyguard (2018) and Lioness (2023). All three share The Diplomat's contemplative and bleak feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Carrie (2026).

★ 8 IMDb ↗TMDB ↗4 seasons · Netflixcreated by Debora Cahncontemplativebleakmelancholy
12 of 12 streaming nowNetflix · Amazon Prime Video · Hulu
Stream it:Netflix ↗

If The Diplomat hit the spot, these will too

Designated Survivor poster
Designated Survivor
2016–2019 · 3 seasons · ABC
★ 7.4drama · war & politicsNetflix

Both are working the same pair: politics, mourning

Tom Kirkman, a low-level cabinet member is suddenly appointed President of the United States after a catastrophic attack during the State of the Union kills everyone above him in the Presidential line of succession.

Bodyguard poster
Bodyguard
2018 · 1 season · BBC One
★ 8crime · drama · war & politicsNetflix

The same two preoccupations: politician, and female politician

The difference: Easier on the melancholy than The Diplomat

A troubled war veteran is assigned to protect a controversial politician who may be the target of a terror plot.

Lioness poster
Lioness
2023– · 3 seasons · Paramount+
★ 7.8drama · war & politicsParamount+

Both land stillness and bleakness at once

The difference: Takes it somewhere less melancholy than The Diplomat does

Cruz Manuelos, a rough-around-the-edges but passionate young Marine, is recruited to join the CIA's Lioness Engagement Team to help bring down a terrorist organization from within. Joe, the station chief of the Lioness program, is tasked with training, managing and leading her female undercover operatives.

Carrie poster
Carrie
2026 · 1 season · Prime Video
★ 7.8mystery · drama · sci-fi & fantasyPrime Video

Both lean on melancholy more than on drama

The difference: Sits closer to mystery than The Diplomat does

After her father's sudden, untimely death thrusts her into the unforgiving ecosystem of public high school, Carrie is forced to navigate a viral bullying scandal that tears through her community, the relentless pressure and casual cruelty of the social‑media age, and the awakening of mysterious telekinetic powers that rise alongside her adolescence.

Shōgun poster
Shōgun
2024– · 1 season · FX
★ 8.6drama · war & politicsHuluDisney+

Contemplative war & politics in both cases

In Japan in the year 1600, at the dawn of a century-defining civil war, Lord Yoshii Toranaga is fighting for his life as his enemies on the Council of Regents unite against him, when a mysterious European ship is found marooned in a nearby fishing village.

Vikings: Valhalla poster
Vikings: Valhalla
2022–2024 · 3 seasons · Netflix
★ 7.4action & adventure · drama · war & politicsNetflix

Drama built on bleakness, twice over

The difference: Leans harder into action & adventure than The Diplomat does

In this sequel to "Vikings," a hundred years have passed and a new generation of legendary heroes arises to forge its own destiny — and make history.

Has Fallen poster
Has Fallen
2024– · 2 seasons · Canal+
★ 6.5action & adventure · war & politicsHulu

Bleak war & politics, and it commits to that

A protection officer and an MI6 operative team up after a terrorist attack. They suspect a mole as they race to thwart a larger conspiracy threatening Paris.

Snowpiercer poster
Snowpiercer
2020–2024 · 4 seasons · TNT
★ 6.9sci-fi & fantasy · dramaPrime VideoHulu

Common ground: shocking

More than seven years after the world has become a frozen wasteland, the remnants of humanity inhabit a gigantic, perpetually-moving train that circles the globe as class warfare, social injustice and the politics of survival play out.

For All Mankind poster
For All Mankind
2019– · 5 seasons · Apple TV
★ 8.1drama · sci-fi & fantasy · war & politicsMaxApple TV+

Both keep coming back to the same thing: politics

Explore an aspirational world where NASA and the space program remained a priority and a focal point of our hopes and dreams as told through the lives of NASA astronauts, engineers, and their families.

This Is Us poster
This Is Us
2016–2022 · 6 seasons · NBC
★ 8.7dramaHuluParamount+

Drama with a pulse of melancholy, in both cases

Follows the lives and families of three adults living and growing up in the United States of America in present and past times. As their paths cross and their life stories intertwine in curious ways, we find that several of them share the same birthday - and so much more than anyone would expect.

Broadchurch poster
Broadchurch
2013–2017 · 3 seasons · ITV1
★ 8.3crime · drama · mysteryNetflixPeacock

Another one that scratches it

The murder of a young boy in a small coastal town brings a media frenzy, which threatens to tear the community apart.

Silo poster
Silo
2023– · 4 seasons · Apple TV
★ 8.1sci-fi & fantasy · dramaApple TV+

Drama of the same temperament

In a ruined and toxic future, thousands live in a giant silo deep underground. After its sheriff breaks a cardinal rule and residents die mysteriously, engineer Juliette starts to uncover shocking secrets and the truth about the silo.

In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative shows →

The best-reviewed series that share The Diplomat’s defining feeling.