Allison Janney & Bradley Whitford Talk the ‘West Wing’ Magic Behind to ‘The Diplomat’

The Diplomat creator Debora Cahn is no stranger to political dramas. She was a writer and producer on The West Wing and Homeland before creating the Emmy-nominated Netflix series that stars Keri Russell as the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom. Cahn staged a West Wing reunion for herself when casting Allison Janney as Vice President Grace Penn in The Diplomat Season 2, and she did it again in Season 3 by casting Bradley Whitford as Grace’s husband, Todd Penn, who is introduced after Grace becomes the president. Janney and Whitford tell TV Insider that they weren’t worried about West Wing nostalgia impacting the viewing experience. In fact, they think it only strengthens the narrative for their characters.