Samantha Bee is moving from late-night politics to a scripted comedy about diplomacy.
The former Full Frontal with Samantha Bee host will star in The Ambassador, a new CBC workplace comedy announced as part of the broadcaster’s 2026-27 programming slate. The series casts Bee as an actor turned Canadian diplomat working inside Canada’s embassy in Bulgaria.
The role gives Bee her most prominent TV vehicle since Full Frontal ended on TBS in 2022. It also keeps her close to political territory, but in a very different format: instead of a weekly monologue about real headlines, she will play a character trying to navigate embassy life, office pressure and international business opportunities.
Bee Will Play an Actor Turned Diplomat
The Ambassador follows Olivia Winters, played by Bee, as she works inside Canada’s embassy in Bulgaria and looks for new business opportunities for Canada.
The Hollywood Reporter described the show as a workplace comedy built around Bee’s actor-turned-diplomat character. Chortle reported that Bee’s character is Canada’s ambassador to Bulgaria.
That setup gives the series an easy contrast with Bee’s best-known work. Full Frontal put her in front of a desk, a studio audience and a stream of U.S. political stories. The Ambassador moves her into scripted office comedy, where the joke can come from protocol, personality clashes and the gap between how diplomacy is supposed to work and how people actually behave.
Allana Harkin Reunites With Bee
Allana Harkin will co-star as Andrea Taylor, Olivia’s childhood best friend. The character is described as a sharp, policy-driven diplomat whose professional style contrasts with Olivia’s more instinctive approach.
Harkin previously worked with Bee on Full Frontal with Samantha Bee as a producer and correspondent. That connection gives The Ambassador a direct link to Bee’s TBS years, even though the new project is scripted rather than late-night satire.
The show also has comedy experience behind the camera. Broadcast Dialogue reported that Tim McAuliffe is the showrunner. His credits include The Office, The Last Man on Earth and Son of a Critch.
CBC Is Expanding Its Comedy Slate
The Ambassador is part of a larger CBC push for the 2026-27 season. Broadcast Dialogue reported that the broadcaster’s slate includes more than 50 original series and roughly a dozen new greenlights.
The new comedy lineup includes The Ambassador, The Posse, The Service and Committed. The mix gives CBC several different comedy lanes rather than relying only on one familiar sitcom style.
Sally Catto, CBC’s general manager of entertainment, factual and sports, told The Canadian Press that the broadcaster is expanding beyond its past focus on family comedies and embracing different kinds of comedic storytelling, including workplace comedy.
P.K. Subban and Kathleen Robertson Are Also in the New Lineup
The same CBC announcement includes Junior, an eight-episode coming-of-age hockey drama inspired by former NHL star P.K. Subban’s experiences. Subban is attached as an executive producer.
The Canadian Press reported that Junior follows a 16-year-old Black hockey player trying to reach the NHL. Broadcast Dialogue reported that Kyle Hart created the series, with Subban, Clement Virgo and Damon D’Oliveira among the executive producers.
CBC also announced Blessed Sacrament, a medical drama created by and starring Kathleen Robertson. The series centers on three sisters who work in a hospital run by their mother.
Full Frontal Ended During a Late-Night Reset
Bee hosted Full Frontal with Samantha Bee from 2016 until 2022. The show became one of the most recognizable political-comedy programs in late night, with Bee using the format for monologues, field pieces and interviews.
TBS canceled the series after seven seasons. The Los Angeles Times reported at the time that the cancellation came as the network was reshaping programming after the Warner Bros. Discovery merger.
The Ambassador does not return Bee to late night, but it does give her another political workplace to play with. This time, the politics are scripted, Canadian and set far from the U.S. cable-news cycle that shaped her last major show.