Based on a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Sympathizer is a new limited series from Park Chan-wook, best known for directing Oldboy, and Robert Downey Jr. The espionage thriller also has two of the biggest brands in Hollywood behind it, HBO and A24.
Viet Thanh Nguyen's novel of the same name serves as the basis for The Sympathizer, which mixes the classic spy thrills with cross-culture satire in a story that takes place in the final days of the Vietnam War.
Joining an already impressive 2024 HBO lineup that includes True Detective season 4, The Regime and more, here is everything to know about The Sympathizer.
The Sympathizer next episode
The final episode of The Sympathizer premieres on HBO on Sunday, May 26, at 9 pm ET/PT on HBO and streaming simultaneously on Max.
To watch the series, US viewers need to either have an HBO as part of your cable subscription, sign up for Max's stand-alone streaming platform or add it as an add-on with the likes of YouTube TV, Prime Video and others.
UK fans have to wait a little longer for the limited series to debut, but The Sympathizer is coming to Sky Atlantic and NOW on May 27.
The Sympathizer plot
Here is the official logline for The Sympathizer from HBO:
"Based on Viet Thanh Nguyen's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, The Sympathizer is an espionage thriller and cross-culture satire about the struggles of a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War and his resulting exile in the United States."
The Sympathizer episodes
Here is the official synopsis for each episode of The Sympathizer released so far:
The Sympathizer episode 1, "Death Wish"
"With the fall of Saigon imminent, the Captain juggles the communist party, the South Vietnamese army, his CIA handler and his conscience."
The Sympathizer episode 2, "Good Little Asian"
"As he adjusts to life in Los Angeles, the Captain is forced to find someone to implicate when the General begins to suspect a mole."
The Sympathizer episode 3, "Love It or Leave It"
"The Captain and Bon craft a plan to quell the General's anxieties. Later, the Captain meets the Auteur, who wants to make a film about war."
The Sympathizer episode 4, "Give Us Some Good Lines"
"As a reluctant consultant on a Hollywood film, the Captain navigates the egos and personalities of an increasingly chaotic production."
The Sympathizer episode 5, "All for One"
"After a lengthy stint at the hospital, the Captain discovers that the General has started recruiting for a secret military operation."
The Sympathizer episode 6, "The Oriental Mode of Destruction"
"Convinced that the General's military operation is doomed, the Captain searches for ways to expose the mission and save Bon."
The Sympathizer episode 7, "Endings are Hard, Aren't They?"
"Back in Vietnam, the Captain is forced to tell his story, and confront the decisions that haunt his past."
The Sympathizer cast
Leading the cast of The Sympathizer is Hoa Xuande in what is his prominent role to date. Some of Xuande's other credits include Netflix's live action Cowboy Beebop, Hungry Ghosts and season 2 of Top of the Lake.
Most of the cast is made up of Asian actors, including Fred Nguyen Khan (Transplant), Toan Le (Bigfoot), Alan Trong (The Tomorrow War), Ky Duyen (The Rich Woman) and Vy Le, who makes her acting debut in the series.
A pair of big name actors are also starring in the season, including Sandra Oh (Killing Eve, The Chair) and Robert Downey Jr. (Oppenheimer, Iron Man). Downey is playing multiple characters in the series and serving as an executive producer behind the scenes.
The Sympathizer trailer
Check out the official trailer for The Sympathizer right here, as well as previously released teaser trailers:
The Sympathizer creatives
The creative team behind The Sympathizer is quite the impressive one, with Park Chan-wook serving as a co-showrunner, executive producer and the director of the first three episodes of the limited series.
Park is best known for writing and directing 2003's Oldboy, but some of his other notable credits include Stoker, The Handmaiden, the TV miniseries The Little Drummer Girl and the 2022 hit South Korean movie Decision to Leave.
Don McKellar is the other co-showrunner for the limited series. His previous writing credits include Thirty Two Short Films About Glenn Could (1993), Last Night (1998) and Blindness (2008).
Other directors working on The Sympathizer include Fernando Meirelles (City of God, The Two Popes) and Marc Munden (The Third Day, Utopia).
