‘The Diplomat’ Season 2 Adds Allison Janney!!

Fans of The Diplomat may have to wait a little longer to find out what happens after the show’s season 1-ending cliffhanger, but now we know who’ll be playing Vice President to Michael McKean‘s President William Rayburn – and she’s a veteran of a previous fictional presidential administration. Allison Janney will guest star as Vice President Grace Penn on the second season of the Netflix series. Variety reports that Janney has been cast in a guest-starring role on the political thriller series. Viewers can look forward to her butting heads with the titular US Ambassador to the UK, Kate Wyler (Keri Russell), when the show returns for its second season, a premiere date for which has yet to be announced.

Janney is, of course, no stranger to televised political intrigue. She starred as White House Press Secretary, and later chief of staff, C.J. Cregg on The West Wing for all seven seasons of the series. Over the course of the show’s run, Janney won four Emmy Awards for her performance. Janney has won three additional Emmys; one for her guest appearance on Masters of Sex, and two for her lead role as recovering addict Bonnie Plunkett on the sitcom Mom. She also won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for playing Lavona Golden, Tonya Harding‘s abusive mother, in I, Tonya. She starred in Gareth Edwards‘ sci-fi epic The Creator last year, and can next be seen in the miniseries Palm Royale, and alongside Bryan Cranston in Everything’s Going to be Great.

What Happened in Season 1 of ‘The Diplomat’?

The Diplomat stars Russell as Kate Wyler, a career diplomat who is appointed to become the new ambassador to the United Kingdom in the midst of a crisis between the UK and Iran that threatens to erupt into a full-scale war. As she tries to get to the bottom of the incident that resulted in a deadly attack on a UK aircraft carrier, she has to deal with her own crumbling marriage to fellow diplomat Hal (Rufus Sewell), UK Prime Minister Trowbridge (Rory Kinnear)’s desire for vengeance, and being groomed to replace the current Vice President. Hal, who is currently without a diplomatic posting, has ambitions of his own, and soon becomes entangled with mysterious forces; in the season’s shocking cliffhanger finale, he’s caught in a car bombing, with his survival unclear as the credits roll. The series also stars David Gyasi, Ali Ahn, and Ato Essandoh.

The Diplomat‘s first season was well-received by critics, and current has an 83% “Fresh” rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It was apparently a hit with audiences as well, as Netflix greenlit a second season of the series shortly after its first one debuted last spring.

Allison Janney will guest star in the second season of The Diplomat, which does not yet have a release date. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates, and watch the trailer for the first season of the series below.