The Widow Diaries

The Widow Diaries is an American comedy drama series that aired on NBC from September 19th 2017 to May 11th 2026. The series focuses on Joan Saunders, a recently widowed middle-aged writer and journalist, who adjusts to live without her husband on 30 years. The series, created by Ifan Barber, stars Laura Linney, Jane Krakowski, Alan Cumming, Shirley MacLaine, Jason Sudeikis, Judy Greer and Sarah Hyland, and features Donald Sutherland in a recurring role.

The show is heavily serialised with overarching storylines intertwined with individual procedural-style plots. This approach has been heavily praised by critics. The show is also notable for attracting fairly popular recurring or guest star characters across its 9-season run.

The Widow Diaries won numerous prestigious awards, including seven Emmys and the 2019 Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in Drama. The performances of the show's cast have been particularly recognised, with Laura Linney's role as Joan Saunders receiving significant praise. The final episode aired on May 11th, 2026 after 9 seasons and 200 episodes.

Premise
The series focuses on Joan Saunders, whose husband Jack (guest star Stanley Tucci) dies suddenly of a heart attack.

After his death, Joan tries to comprehend it and confides in friends, old and new, her daughter and her estranged family.

Cast
The series is lead by Laura Linney, but features an ensemble cast that remained relatively the same for the show's entire run, with some exceptions.

Laura Linney as Joan Saunders (Main, season 1 - 9)

Joan is a popular writer and magazine editor who has worked from home for the past 27 years while raising her daughter. Despite her daughter moving out and becoming a popular fashion journalist she continued her home life until her husband died unexpectedly. After his death, she takes up an office in her magazine in order to surround herself with the support of work in the wake of her husband's passing. She also reconnects with her parents and her brother in the process. As the series progresses, Joan begins dating again and encounters many men throughout, eventually remarrying at the end of season 5.

Jane Krakowski as Emma Hunter (Main, season 1 - 9)

Emma is Joan's close friend and her liaison at the magazine Joan runs from her home. She is a quirky and supportive mother of teenage twins and Joan's main confidant in the initial weeks following Jack's death. She encourages Joan to return to the magazine and is promoted to Deputy Editor when she does. Emma's husband Max works abroad for the first two seasons and only appears occasionally, before returning permanently in season 3. Emma goes through a depression in season 2 when her sons leave home and go to college.

Alan Cumming as Oliver Selwyn (Recurring, season 1 - 2, 8 - 9; Main, season 3 - 7)

Oliver is Joan's brother who lives closer to their parents in Philadelphia, along with his parents he relocates to Los Angeles to support his sister, but he also moves his PR firm to the city. He has a rough relationship with Joan as they haven't seen each other properly for nearly 10 years, but they soon reconcile. He struggles to maintain a relationship with his father due to his open homosexuality, which in contrast is embraced by his mother. Throughout the show Oliver goes through many life changing events such as prostate cancer and the adoption of a Malawian baby. He leaves his firm and LA at the end of season 7 to raise his daughter in suburban Philadelphia after the death of his father, but he makes frequent visits after that.

Shirley MacLaine as Angela Selwyn-Barnes (Main, season 1 - 6, 9; Recurring, season 7; Guest, season 8)

Angela is the kind hearted mother of Joan and Oliver and the wife, and later widow, of Henry. She enjoys socialising and gardening and happily relocates to Los Angeles when her daughter's husband dies suddenly. She eventually feels that moving to Los Angeles was the best thing she's ever done when she finds a new group of similar-minded friends in the city. When her husband dies, she decides to relocate to India for the year, where she meets the much younger Victor, with whom she later returns to Los Angeles with.

Jason Sudeikis as Max Hunter (Recurring, season 1 - 2; Main, season 3 - 9)

Max is the globetrotting businessman husband of Emma, who returns from his job and settles permanently in Los Angeles when his wife expresses her loneliness after the departure of their children to college. He proves himself to be a good and dedicated husband when he returns and also proves to be a good friend to his wife's close friend Joan. He also forms a brotherly relationship with Oliver and a mutual admiration with Angela.

Judy Greer as Velma Jaques (Main, season 1 - 5, 9; Guest, season 6 - 8)

Velma is a recently widowed real estate agent who befriends Joan online before they later meet in real life. Out of initial pity, Joan employs Judy as an assistant at the magazine and she proves to be rather capable at her job. As the series progresses, she becomes a fully fledged reporter for the magazine. In the season 5 finale, Velma reveals she's been offered a job at NBC in New York and she's decided to take it. She returns to LA occasionally for work after that, before she is promoted to West Coast correspondent and returns to LA permanently in the final season.

Sarah Hyland as Hannah Saunders (Recurring, season 1 - 2; Main, season 3 - 9)

Hannah is Joan's fashion savvy daughter and a popular fashion journalist in San Francisco. She briefly returns to Los Angeles after her father's death but returns to San Francisco for work. When the magazine relocates to Hollywood in season 3, Hannah becomes more present in her family's life and begins to build a family of her own, getting married in season 4 and having babies in season 6 and season 9.

Recurring
Donald Sutherland as Henry Selwyn (Recurring, season 1 - 7)

Henry is a retired insurance broker and the husband of Angela, he is also the stern but supportive father of Joan and Oliver, he has a closer relationship with his daughter but struggles to bond with his son due to their differences, such as his sexuality. When his daughter's husband dies, a man who Henry respected greatly, he relocates his family to Los Angeles, but splits his time between Los Angeles and his company, which he is still on the board of, in Philadelphia. He passes away after a short illness at the end of season 7.

Matthew Broderick as Ian Butler (Recurring, season 5 - 9)

Ian is a television producer in Los Angeles who Joan meets online and eventually begins to date. He is a childless divorcé and he forms a fatherly bond with Hannah during his relationship with Joan. He marries Joan in the season 5 finale and they remain together for the remainder of the series.

Nicole Kidman as Melanie Richards (Recurring, season 4 - 7, 9; Guest, season 8)

Melanie first appears as a rival journalist of Joan in season 4, but she returns in season 5 and replaced Velma as a senior reporter at the magazine, a role in which she remains until season 7 when after a major argument with Joan she's fired. In season 8, Joan discovers she's now working at Australian Vogue. In season 9, she returns to Joan's magazine after they reconcile and retains her role of senior reporter.

JK Simmons as Victor Weiss (Guest, season 8; Recurring, season 9)

Victor is the younger partner of Joan and Oliver's mother Angela who meets her while they're both living in India for the year. They return to LA together and wed in the series finale.

The show also features various guest stars and special guest stars throughout its run.

Season 1
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Season 2
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Season 3
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Season 4
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Season 5
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Season 6
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Season 7
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Season 8
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Season 9
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Future and Potential Spin-offs
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