“The Sympathizer” is a new miniseries based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name.
So let’s dive into some trivia and facts about the series.
- The Sympathizer is a historical black comedy drama television series
- The series is based on the 2015 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Viet Thanh Nguye
- The series was created by co-showrunners Park Chan-wook and Don McKellar
- With Park directing for the series as well
- The series is produced to air on HBO by A24 and Rhombus Media
- It premiered on April 14, 2024
- The series is based on the story of the Captain, a North Vietnam plant in the South Vietnam army
- He is forced to flee to the United States with his general near the end of the Vietnam War
- While living within a community of South Vietnamese refugees, he continues to secretly spy on the community and report back to the Viet Cong
- Struggling between his original loyalties and his new life
- In April 2021, Viet Thanh Nguyen announced that his novel The Sympathizer had been optioned by A24 to be adapted into a television series with Park Chan-wook directing
- Rhombus Media is also involved in the production
- In July, HBO ordered the series from A24, and Robert Downey Jr. joined the project in a producer and co-star role
- The state of California awarded the production over $17.4 million in tax credits ensuring significant production would take place in state
- Marc Munden and Fernando Meirelles were also hired to direct some episodes of the series
- Casting director Jennifer Venditti opened a worldwide casting call in order to find a main cast of Vietnamese descent
- Ultimately hiring Hoa Xuande, Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, Vy Le, and Alan Trong
- Recurring roles for Sandra Oh, Kieu Chinh, and Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen were also announced in November 2022
- Downey was portraying several supporting antagonistic roles representing the American establishment
- In May 2023, Scott Ly and Marine Delterme joined the cast, in recurring roles
- Filming took place in Los Angeles and Thailand
- Downey shaved his head for the series in order to save time required to use a bald cap for each of the various characters he portrayed
- A significant portion of Downey’s performance was also improvised
- The series will air on HBO
- It will be available to stream on Max
- On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds 89% rating
- Based on 28 critics’ reviews
- The website’s consensus reads: “The Sympathizer does a solidly satisfying job of adapting its ambitious source material, conveying its core themes even as it occasionally struggles with its structure”
- On Metacritic, the series holds a weighted average score of 81 out of 100,
- Based on 19 critics, indicating “universal acclaim”
