Debora Cahn on the TV Show, The Diplomat

We're trying to stay in a viewer's life for years

I recently interviewed Debora Cahn, a television writer, producer, and showrunner. She launched her career as a writer on The West Wing and Grey’s Anatomy; later, she served as a writer and executive producer on Homeland. In this episode, we talk about The Diplomat, the hit drama series Debora created for Netflix.

I was excited to talk to Debora because she’s cracked a pretty difficult code: Creating a hit show that is compelling and plot-driven and also full of emotional depth.

“The game that we’re trying to win is to stay in a viewer’s life for years,” she says of The Diplomat, which is now entering its third season. “Make this story interesting to people for years. And to do that, you plant all of these things in the garden, to use a simple metaphor. And some of them grow and some of them don’t.”

She continued, “And some of them are just sort of sitting there waiting for you to take advantage of them somewhere down the line.”

Watch now or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

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Thanks,

Matt