The Sympathizer

References

The Sympathizer

television miniseries

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 22, 2026

Quick Summary

The television miniseries The Sympathizer is an adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen's 2015 novel of the same name. The novel, which won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 2016, explores themes of colonialism, imperialism, Asian American identities, and the legacy of the Vietnam War.12

The story follows a half-French, half-Vietnamese double agent who works for the South Vietnamese secret police while secretly reporting to communist North Vietnam. After being evacuated to the United States by the CIA, the narrator becomes involved in the Hollywood film industry, all while continuing his espionage activities. The miniseries, which premiered in 2024, stars Hoa Xuande, Robert Downey Jr., and Sandra Oh.21

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Robert Downey, Jr.
Iron Man series and Oppenheimer
In 2024 Downey starred in The Sympathizer, a television miniseries adapted from Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about a double agent working in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Downey was nominated for an Emmy Award for his supporting role.
Read More
In 2024 Downey starred in The Sympathizer, a television miniseries adapted from Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about a double agent working in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. Downey was nominated for an Emmy Award for his supporting role.
Read More

Viet Thanh Nguyen
The Sympathizer
…an executive producer on a television miniseries adaptation of The Sympathizer that aired on the streaming platform HBO. Created by acclaimed South Korean director and producer Park Chan-Wook and Canadian director and actor Don McKellar, The Sympathizer stars Hoa Xuande, Robert Downey, Jr., Fred Nguyen Khan, and Sandra Oh and…
Read More
…an executive producer on a television miniseries adaptation of The Sympathizer that aired on the streaming platform HBO. Created by acclaimed South Korean director and producer Park Chan-Wook and Canadian director and actor Don McKellar, The Sympathizer stars Hoa Xuande, Robert Downey, Jr., Fred Nguyen Khan, and Sandra Oh and…
Read More

Sandra Oh
…Witness? and the TV miniseries The Sympathizer, an adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about a double agent in the aftermath of the Vietnam War.
Read More
…Witness? and the TV miniseries The Sympathizer, an adaptation of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about a double agent in the aftermath of the Vietnam War.
Read More

Park Chan-Wook
Later works: The Handmaiden, Decision to Leave, and No Other Choice
…with the political spy thriller The Sympathizer (2024), based on a novel of the same name by Viet Thanh Nguyen. Park not only cocreated the series but also directed its first three episodes. A year later he adapted Donald E. Westlake’s 1997 novel The Ax into Eojjeolsuga eobsda (No Other…
Read More
…with the political spy thriller The Sympathizer (2024), based on a novel of the same name by Viet Thanh Nguyen. Park not only cocreated the series but also directed its first three episodes. A year later he adapted Donald E. Westlake’s 1997 novel The Ax into Eojjeolsuga eobsda (No Other…
Read More