Netflix has given a series order to The Diplomat, a political thriller drama created by Debora Cahn (Homeland, The West Wing). Cahn will serve as executive producer and showrunner under a multi-year overall deal with the streamer for series and other projects.

In The Diplomat, whose order is for eight 50-minute episodes, in the midst of an international crisis, a career diplomat lands in a high-profile job she’s unsuited for, with tectonic implications for her marriage and her political future. Janice Williams also executive produces the series, which is slated to film in the UK.

At Netflix, Cahn is reuniting with the streamer’s VP and head of Drama Development, Jinny Howe. The two started their TV careers together, Cahn as a staff writer on The West Wing, rising through the ranks to producer, and Howe as a creative executive at the company behind the Emmy-winning series, John Wells Prods., where she ultimately rose to EVP and head of television before moving to Netflix in 2018.

“I’ve seen firsthand Deb’s incredible work on shows including The West Wing,” Howe said. “She knows how to tell an amazing story, with character depth, stakes and surprises, all of which she’ll bring to The Diplomat. We’re thrilled to welcome Deb to Netflix.”

Cahn is coming off a stint on another thriller drama with a female lead, Showtime‘s Emmy-winning Homeland, on which she served as an executive producer. Cahn spent eight years on ABC’s juggernaut Grey’s Anatomy and shared Outstanding Drama Series Emmy nominations of both Grey’s and Homeland. 

“It’s been such a joy working with Netflix,” said Cahn, acknowledging the streamer’s executives who had worked on the The Diplomat, Howe, Directors of Original Series Sebastian Gibbs and Tara Flynn, and Manager of Original Series Sahar Vehedi. “Jinny, Seb, Tara, and Sahar have been amazing creative partners, from the seed of the idea to what is starting to look alarmingly like a television show. I really can’t believe my luck.”

Cahn is repped by CAA, Map Point Management, and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller.