TV Keri Russell is heading back to TV after The Americans with Netflix political thriller The actress plots a return to the small screen with The Diplomat. By Nick Romano Nick Romano Nick is an entertainment journalist based in New York, NY. If you like pugs and the occasional blurry photo of an action figure, follow him on Twitter @NickARomano. EW's editorial guidelines Published on February 16, 2022 02:50PM EST It's been almost four years since The Americans came to an end on FX, and Keri Russell has since segued into big-screen roles — she even appeared in a Star Wars movie. But now the actress behind KGB operative Nadezhda Popova, a.k.a. Elizabeth Jennings, is returning to television for a new political thriller. Netflix announced Wednesday that Russell will executive-produce and star in The Diplomat, an eight-episode series from Debora Cahn, an EP on shows including Homeland and The West Wing. Russell will play a career diplomat named Kate Wyler, who lands a high-profile job she's unsuited for in the midst of an international crisis. That creates "tectonic implications" for her marriage and political future. Keri Russell. Dominik Bindl/FilmMagic Russell starred opposite Matthew Rhys on The Americans for six seasons, from 2013 to 2018. The show, about two KGB officers posing as a suburban American married couple, earned Russell three Emmy nominations for Lead Actress in a Drama. Rhys has since worked in both film and television, with notable roles in 2019's The Report and A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, and on HBO's Perry Mason (returning for a second season). Russell, meanwhile, recently appeared in the horror film Antlers, released last year after pandemic-prompted delays, and she played Zorii Bliss in 2019's Star Wars: Episode IX — The Rise of Skywalker. Russell has also lined up a role in Cocaine Bear, Elizabeth Banks' bonkers-sounding directorial effort, based on the true story of an American black bear that digested a duffel bag of cocaine. On top of that, Russell and Rhys are reteaming for Wyrd, a sci-fi drama for FX. But Rhys is the only one of the two appearing on the show as of now, while he and Russell will both serve as executive producers. Related content: Why Antlers director Scott Cooper wouldn't have made horror film without Guillermo del Toro's help Teen angst alert: Felicity and My So-Called Life are coming to Hulu Americans stars Matthew Rhys, Keri Russell developing new series Wyrd at FX