‘The Diplomat’ can’t negotiate its tone, while ‘Mrs. Davis’ is a too-weird construct

Review by Brian Lowry, CNN

If their streaming homes were flipped, “Mrs. Davis” would likely be a big deal, and “The Diplomat” would come and go with little notice. As is, the latter — a vehicle for Keri Russell — will probably get attention despite its inability to negotiate a consistent tone because it’s on Netflix, while the former — perhaps the year’s weirdest TV construct, with Betty Gilpin as a warrior nun — will struggle to generate more than cultish devotion on NBC’s Peacock.

Neither show works entirely, although they come up short in different ways.

In “The Diplomat,” Russell plays Kate Wyler, a US ambassador grappling with an international crisis after a British aircraft carrier experiences a fatal attack by unknown forces. Complicating matters, she’s chosen for this highly political role with an eye on future advancement, and accompanied by her husband (Rufus Sewell), a former ambassador and the proverbial bull in the diplomatic china shop. He keeps meddling in her business, straining the marriage.

Created by Debora Cahn (whose credits include “Homeland” and “The West Wing”), the series exhibits a savvy and timely ear for international relations, introducing tensions involving Iran and Russia along the way.

Yet it’s told with the vaguely comedic spin of a “West Wing” walk-and-talk sequence that’s difficult to sustain. Much of that comes from how much Kate hates putting on dresses and heels along with other ceremonial aspects of the job, much to the chagrin of her very serious aide (Ato Essandoh), who, soap opera-style, is hiding his personal relationship with a CIA agent (Ali Ahn).

The casting elevates things, with Michael McKean as the US president and Rory Kinnear as the British prime minister, who appears eager for retribution after the attack and less concerned with accurately identifying who’s responsible.

Still, given the abundance of these kind of shows, “The Diplomat” could easily get lost in the crowd, and the series meanders too much in the midst of its eight episodes before rushing to set up a second season at the end.

Thanks to Russell (who doubles as an executive producer) the central character is intriguing, but the distinctive aspects of that don’t make the show completely worth the ride. To put things diplomatically, “The Diplomat” isn’t bad, but it’s nothing to write home about.

Peacock, meanwhile, continues to take pretty impressive creative risks with its programming choices, one of the apparent benefits of its second-class-streamer status.

In that sense “Mrs. Davis” earns points for pushing boundaries and then some, while proving so out-there as to become frustrating and borderline impenetrable. Along the way, it says provocative things about religion, technology and the tensions between them, but keeping track of its intricate connections becomes more laborious as the show marches on.

Produced by Tara Hernandez (who worked on “The Big Bang Theory”) and “The Leftovers” and “Watchmen’s” Damon Lindelof, the series features Gilpin (who starred in the Lindelof-produced movie “The Hunt”) as Simone, a nun charged by a mysterious, shadowy artificial intelligence known only as “Mrs. Davis” with finding the Holy Grail. She’s joined in her quest by ex-boyfriend Wiley (Jake McDorman), who remains confused and hurt by her religious awakening, which has its own elaborate backstory.

The series basically peaks, as it turns out, in the first episode, with a flashback regarding what happened to the Grail, followed by the introduction of Simone as she resists the assignment that “She” or “It” — describing an A.I. isn’t easy — wants to give her.

After that, though, the show indulges in so many odd detours as to become tedious, at times feeling as much like a Monty Python sketch as a limited series.

It’s hard not to admire “Mrs. Davis” (which will launch, wisely in terms of giving the audience a chance to become invested, with its first four episodes) for the sheer audacity of the concept, and the over-the-top nature of the execution. The show has also attracted topnotch supporting players, with Elizabeth Marvel and Margo Martindale as Simone’s mom and Mother Superior, respectively.

To paraphrase “A Chorus Line,” though, “different” is nice, but it isn’t necessarily better, or enough to justify an eight-hour commitment. And while the show should have a small cadre of fans — probably tilted toward TV critics and English-lit professors — wedding its sly auteur sensibility to broader appeal is a creative Holy Grail, ultimately, that “Mrs. Davis” doesn’t locate.

“The Diplomat” premieres April 20 on Netflix.

“Mrs. Davis” premieres April 20 on Peacock.

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