The Diplomat

I feel pretty confident in saying that the writer's room for The Diplomat was a place of good humor - it shows in how they have deftly managed to avoid the trap of unrelenting drama. Instead we have a show quite deliberately punctuated with some great light touches and humorous exchanges - well executed and delivered with some subtlety.

It adds up to a watch that is quite compelling, easy to get invested in - all against the back-drop of the very photogenic Barcelona.

The comedic elements are not over played, but they do provide a perfect foil for the human dramas that the consulate has to navigate - and are well used to flesh out characterization and even minor plot points.

The end result is a show that is relaxing to watch and engaging - a great ensemble clearly enjoying their work. An easy 8.

My first ever review! I thoroughly enjoyed this. Good story lines. Enjoyed the acting. Was a bit confusing the overall story but all came together in the end. You don't have to have watched all of them as there's a new story to each one but there is one that follows through all 6 episodes. Easy watching and I found it difficult to turn off. The relationship between the consulate, police and "victims" is good and sometimes can bring a tear to your eye.

Only reviewing because this is the second show I've looked up on IMDb and there was no ratings and/or reviews?! What's up with the Now TV dramas on here?!

There were two TV series released in 2023 and they are both titled "The Diplomat" and they are very different series. This is the better one, though it has a lot of flaws. This series is set in Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain and centers on Laura Simmonds the British Consul to Catalonia, Aragon and Andorra as she likes to say. It shows different types of cases that a diplomatic consul handles, providing support to British subjects traveling in Spain and Andorra.

The flaw is that it makes Laura Simmonds out to be part diplomat, part investigator, part social worker, part spook...it's hard to swallow that a consul really plays all those roles and more. Sophie Rundle is always good, a RADA trained actress, last I remember seeing her was in "Bodyguard" where she played Richard Madden's wife. I like the rest of the British/Spanish caste and of course beautiful Catalonia, Spain.

The body of British boy Jay Sutherland is found floating in The Marina, his persistent father Colin refuses to accept the narrative given by The Police and powers that be, instead he looks for answers with the help of Laura Simmonds.

Every week The Consulate tackle a new case, all of which involve a British Citizen in Barcelona, but one case continues, The Sutherland case.

It is such an enjoyable series, it's one of those I'd class as a Sunday teatime show, I'd put it along with Mallorca Files and Father Brown, perfect viewing for Sunday teatime. It's light viewing, with a hint of grit thrown in.

It's a very well acted show, regulars Sophie Rundle, Steven Cree and Serena Manteghi are all great, and there are some fine guest performances too, Esther Hall and Lindsey Coulson stood out.

It looks great, with terrific location work, a City I would totally recommend visiting, it really is as gorgeous as it looks here.

Please let there be a second series.

8/10.

The banner, description, image, number of episodes (6), etc on the page for this series of "The Diplomat" are for the UK version, NOT the 8 episode Netflix version. So why hasn't some moderator removed the reviews that pertain to the Netflix version??

This (the UK 6 episode series) is quite light entertainment if a bit confusing at the start. The mystery in the first episode continues beyond that episode while, in the subsequent episodes, there is a new - and solved - mystery per episode.

The first episode is confusing in that it introduces various characters without giving enough background on each to make it understandable as to exactly why they are there in the first place or the reason there is a "relationship" among them. I had to read a couple of recaps to finally get the drift or who was who in the zoo. Otherwise, it's a good enough series to spend a bit of time with if you can get over the initial confusion - particularly when you get to Episode 2 and it starts out with a completely different mystery and the new characters necessary for that plot.

But again, reading the reviews here will also confuse the heck out of people because some are for this series (as described at the top of the page) while others are for the 8 episode Netflix series. Can a mod PLEASE remove those?