Miniseries · HBO
The Sympathizer
Refugee. Traitor. Hero. Spy.
Who's in it
Cast
The principal ensemble across the run of the series.
Hoa Xuande
The Captain
7 eps
Robert Downey Jr.
Claude / Professor Hammer / Ned Godwin / Niko Damianos / Priest
7 eps
Toan Le
The General
7 eps
Fred Nguyen Khan
Bon
7 eps
Duy Nguyen
Man
7 eps
Vy Le
Lana
7 eps
Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen
Madame
7 eps
Phan Gia Nhat Linh
Crapulent Major
7 eps
Alan Trong
Sonny
7 eps
Kieu Chinh
Crapulent Major's Mother
7 eps
Sandra Oh
Sofia Mori
7 eps
Quinn Hoàng
Commandant
7 eps
VyVy Nguyen
Crapulent Major's Wife
4 eps
Kayli Tran
Communist Spy
3 eps
La Thanh Thanh
Linh
2 eps
Nguyen Viet Anh
Translator
1 eps
Tom Dang
Skinny Timid RTO
7 eps
Joseph Hieu
Grizzled Sergeant
5 eps
Scott Ly
Hefty Gunner
6 eps
Tien Pham
Petulant Captain
7 eps
Ta Van Cuong
Attendant
1 eps
Dao Thi Loi
Secretary
1 eps
Nguyen Dinh Trong
Drunk Marine
1 eps
Nguyễn Việt Hoàng Long
Drunk Marine
1 eps
Hồng Hiếu Lợi
Drunk Marine
1 eps
Pham Thi Bao Tran
Singer
1 eps
Duong Minh Quan
Guitar Player
1 eps
Luis Nava
Marine With A Blowhorn
1 eps
Trần Hữu Thiện
Secret Police Officer
1 eps
Lê Quang Vinh
Special Police Soldier
2 eps
Trần Như Thục
Bus Driver
1 eps
Van Brunelle
Fourteen-Year Old Captain
4 eps
Phong Le
The Watchman
3 eps
Cat Ly
Dame
1 eps
Julia May Wong
Ling Ling
1 eps
Thomas McNamara
Research Assistant
1 eps
Robert Lewis Stephenson
Shop Keeper
1 eps
Jacob Elliot Brethen
Student Reporter
1 eps
Kane Lieu
Burly Guard
1 eps
Tan Ly
Seven Year Old Captain
1 eps
The Nutevio profile
TV DNA
How The Sympathizer actually feels to watch, measured on the traits our editors track across every series.
Signature profile
The Sympathizer reads strongest on Character Depth, Serialized and Bingeability.
How fully written and psychologically layered the ensemble is.
How much each hour depends on the one before it.
How hard it is to stop after one episode.
How much the series is designed to affect you.
How often an episode ends on a hook you can't ignore.
The sustained pressure the series keeps you under.
Visual ambition — scale, craft and set-piece filmmaking.
The scale, internal logic and texture of the world.
How often the series is genuinely funny, by design.
The story
What it's about
Near the end of the Vietnam War, a spy who was embedded in the South Vietnam army flees to the United States and takes up residence in a refugee community, where he continues to gather intelligence and report back to the Viet Cong.
Where the series peaks
Best Episodes
The hours that define the show, ranked by audience response and editorial signal.
S01E04
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.
- Directed by Fernando Meirelles
- Written by Park Chan-wook, Don McKellar
S01E03
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.
- Directed by Park Chan-wook
- Written by Park Chan-wook, Mark Richard
S01E07
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.
- Directed by Marc Munden
- Written by Park Chan-wook, Don McKellar
S01E01
Death Wish
With the fall of Saigon imminent, the Captain juggles the communist party, the South Vietnamese army, his CIA handler and his conscience.
- Directed by Park Chan-wook
- Written by Park Chan-wook, Don McKellar
S01E02
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.
- Directed by Park Chan-wook
- Written by Park Chan-wook, Naomi Iizuka
S01E06
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.
- Directed by Marc Munden
- Written by Park Chan-wook, Anchuli Felicia King
Recently aired
Latest Episodes
S01E07
Endings Are Hard, Aren't They?
- Directed by Marc Munden
- Written by Park Chan-wook, Don McKellar
S01E06
The Oriental Mode of Destruction
- Directed by Marc Munden
- Written by Park Chan-wook, Anchuli Felicia King
S01E05
All for One
- Directed by Marc Munden
- Written by Park Chan-wook, Don McKellar
S01E04
Give Us Some Good Lines
- Directed by Fernando Meirelles
- Written by Park Chan-wook, Don McKellar
S01E03
Love It or Leave It
- Directed by Park Chan-wook
- Written by Park Chan-wook, Mark Richard
S01E02
Good Little Asian
- Directed by Park Chan-wook
- Written by Park Chan-wook, Naomi Iizuka
Behind the series
Created by
Showrunners, creators, executive producers and the writers who set the voice of the series.
Park Chan-wook
Creator
Don McKellar
Showrunner
John Sloss
Executive producer
Robert Downey Jr.
Executive producer
Susan Downey
Executive producer
Niv Fichman
Executive producer
Kim Ly
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Ron Schmidt
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Amanda Burrell
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Hallie Sekoff
Executive producer
Mark Richard
Executive producer
Viet Thanh Nguyen
Executive producer
Ravi Nandan
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Back Ji-sun
Executive producer
- Photo unavailable
Anchuli Felicia King
Writer
- Photo unavailable
Naomi Iizuka
Writer
Maegan Houang
Writer
The craft
Key Crew
Directing, writing, production, camera, music and editing.
Executive production
- Park Chan-wookExecutive Producer
- John SlossExecutive Producer
- Robert Downey Jr.Executive Producer
- Ted PacultProducer
- Susan DowneyExecutive Producer
- Niv FichmanExecutive Producer
Writing
- Park Chan-wookWriter
- Anchuli Felicia KingWriter
- Mark RichardWriter
- Naomi IizukaWriter
- Don McKellarWriter
- Maegan HouangWriter
Direction
- Marc MundenDirector
- Park Chan-wookDirector
- Fernando MeirellesDirector
Cinematography
- Barry AckroydDirector of Photography
- Kim Ji-yongDirector of Photography
Music
- Jo Yeong-wookOriginal Music Composer
Where to watch
Streaming
Availability verified against regional listings.
- Amazon VideoBuy
- Apple TV StoreBuy
- HBO Max Amazon ChannelStreaming
- Google Play MoviesBuy
- Fandango At HomeBuy
- YouTube TVStreaming
- HBO MaxStreaming
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