Netflix’s soapy but glorious transatlantic political thriller “The Diplomat” returned on October 16 for a third season. In the real world politics can often be dreary — ask any U.S. senator who has had to stay up until 3 a.m. for a meaningless procedural vote. But on the small screen, writers can spice both political fiction and non-fiction up with potboiler plots and ripped-from-the-headlines drama — like these five recent standouts do.

‘Borgen’ (2010-2022)

A political thriller that doubles as an extended lesson in comparative politics, “Borgen” is the rare show that takes both politics and plot seriously. In season one, Birgitte Nyborg (Sidse Babett Knudsen) and her moderate Danish political party unexpectedly emerge as the winners of parliamentary elections. As she ascends to the coun

See Full Page