The political drama The Diplomat has taken the top spot on Nielsen’s streaming charts. For the week of October 20-26, 2025, the Netflix series was watched for a staggering 1.24 billion minutes in the United States alone. This impressive number represents a 36 percent increase from its premiere week, showing the show’s strong momentum.
The series successfully displaced the previous chart-topper, Monster: The Ed Gein Story, which had held the number one position for three consecutive weeks. The new season, which started on October 16, 2025, was the main driver of this success, accounting for the majority of the total viewing time.
How The Diplomat Performed
The show’s weekly total of 1.24 billion minutes was its best performance since the second week of its first season back in 2023. A deep look into the numbers shows that viewer interest was heavily focused on the new episodes.
Of the total 1.24 billion minutes watched, approximately 72 percent, or about 889 million minutes, came from the newly released third season. The remaining watch time was from viewers catching up on earlier seasons, indicating that the new release also sparked renewed interest in the series as a whole.
Other Strong Performers on Netflix
Netflix had several other titles with standout performances during the same week. The true-crime documentary The Perfect Neighbor also surged, grabbing the second-place spot with 1.01 billion minutes of viewing. This was a 26 percent week-to-week growth for the documentary.
The romantic comedy Nobody Wants This secured third place overall with 904 million minutes of watch time following the premiere of its second season on October 23. Netflix’s new film, A House of Dynamite, also had a strong debut, earning 734 million viewing minutes.
A Resurgence for Political Dramas
The significant chart success of The Diplomat underscores a continued audience appetite for high-stakes, character-driven political stories. The show’s blend of international crisis management and complex personal relationships has clearly connected with viewers.
The series stars Keri Russell as Kate Wyler, a career diplomat who is thrust into the high-profile role of U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom. The show also features Rufus Sewell as her husband, Hal, a fellow diplomat navigating his wife’s new prominence. The cast includes Ali Ahn, David Gyasi, and Rory Kinnear.
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Understanding Nielsen’s Streaming Ratings
Nielsen’s streaming ratings provide a snapshot of what America is watching on its TVs. It is important to note that these ratings only measure viewing that happens on television sets. They do not include minutes watched on computers, tablets, or mobile phones. The data also measures only U.S. audiences, not international viewership.
A Look at The Diplomat’s Journey
The Diplomat was created by Debora Cahn and first premiered on Netflix on April 20, 2023. The series was met with critical acclaim, particularly for its writing and the performances of its lead actors. Its success has been steady, with Netflix renewing the show for a third season in October 2024, which just premiered, and for a fourth season in May 2025.
The show has been praised for its engaging plot and sharp dialogue. One reviewer noted the strength of the lead actors, writing, > “they both are fantastic here. The chemistry between those two is what makes this show so good.” Another review highlighted the show’s entertainment value, calling it > “sublimely fun and smart adult entertainment.”
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