Created by Debora Cahn · Season 4 · 8 episodes · Netflix
Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) is still the US ambassador in London, still married to Hal (Rufus Sewell), and still stuck between a president who wants a harder line and a husband who has his own plans. Season 4 picks up the threads season 3 left open: a new threat pushes President Grace Penn (Allison Janney) towards a more hawkish stance, and First Gentleman Todd Penn (Bradley Whitford) is pulled further into geopolitics. Jodie Whittaker joins as a senior British politician.
The critics who have reviewed it agree on the engine. The marriage at the centre is "an absolute disaster in the most compelling possible way", as Kelly Woo puts it in Tom's Guide, and the cast treats it that way. Russell is singled out as the standout, and the double and triple crosses are played with the speed of a romantic comedy.
the plot is complex without feeling like you need to do homework.Kelly Woo, Tom's Guide
The supporting pairings get praise too: Janney and Whitford have more to do, and the banter between Stuart (Ato Essandoh) and Eidra (Ali Ahn) is welcomed as comic relief. Rotten Tomatoes lists the season at 96% from 25 reviews at the time of writing.
This is where critics start to split. Diego Lerer at Micropsia finds the season "shakier than the previous ones" and says several big plot turns feel forced. Greg Wheeler at TV and City gives it a B+ and calls it messy and occasionally frustrating, with arguments that circle too long and character shifts that feel like plot requirements. Woo finds Russia works more as a looming presence than a real one.
Tick what applies. It is a rough guide built from what the reviews say, not a rule.
Pick at least one.
Returning viewers get the most out of it: the reviews treat this as a continuation, and the season leans on what came before. If you are happy with melodrama in your geopolitics and want performances that carry it, the consensus is that it delivers. If you want the world outside the embassy to feel real, expect to be frustrated at times.
The verdict: a gripping, uneven return. Some critics call it the show's best season, others find it shakier than before, and the split comes down to how much plot excess you will forgive. Four out of five.
All eight episodes are on Netflix, released on 15 October 2026. Availability varies by country.