The Diplomat

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?!

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.

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.

Big surprise. I Hope it's renewed for another series. Funny, smart. Contemporary. Good acting but even better dynamics and one-liners that skewer modern manners and obsessions. Sophie Rundle is great but whole roster work well together, particularly amongst the embassy staff Good observations about modern workplace hierarchies too. I like the concept of an overarching narrative with smaller embassy work dovetailed in between. And I'm happy for Spanish dialogue to be kept in rather than anglicise it or use accented speaking. Thanks. I didnt expect a huge amount but this cleared the bar easily !

THE DIPLOMAT puts a satisfying twist on the standard anthology format by serving up a fascinating quartet of characters who work at the British Consulate in Barcelona in an ongoing narrative. Led by Sophie Rundle who delivers an expert and enchanting performance and many unforgettable scenes in her role as chief Consul, Laura Simmonds. Her side-kick Serena Manteghi is also outstanding with terrific comedic instincts adding lots of spice to the office dialogue exchanges. Strong story lines involving the Dutch and Spanish crime syndicates and the UK's spy network plus a sharply written romantic subplot. This is a superbly written series that takes on important topics with great sensitivity and balance. Binge it or watch it over and over. So good you will fall in love with these characters and their stories. *To correct a comment made in one of these reviews, the series was not written by a woman but by the creator, Ben Richards.