HBO just released a long trailer for its new show, “The Sympathizer.” It’s based on a book that won a big prize.
The show is about a spy who is both French and Vietnamese. He’s a communist, and he had a tough time during the Vietnam War. After that, he has to live in the United States.
The Sympathizer trailer released by Max on Thursday takes us back to 1975 Vietnam, showing the end of the war between the country’s north and south regions.
It switches between scenes in Vietnam and the U.S. We see the North Vietnamese spy Captain, played by Hoa Xuande, meeting Sandra Oh and Robert Downey Jr.
In the trailer, Robert Downey Jr. plays multiple antagonists. One tells the Captain, “Welcome to the world of spycraft.” Another calls the Captain his protege and says they’re going to America for their CIA mission. We don’t know the names of these characters yet.
Other cast members include Sandra Oh, Kieu Chinh, Ky Duyen, Hoa Xuande, Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, Vy Le, Alan Trong, Duy Nguyen, Kayli Tran, and VyVy Nguyen.
Park Chan-wook, Don McKellar, and others are in charge of the show.
The Sympathizer was filmed in Los Angeles and Thailand and will be released on April 14 on Max.
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The Sympathizer Update (2026)
Updated August 2026. The Sympathizer wrapped its seven-episode run in May 2024 as a self-contained limited series adapting Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. As of mid-2026, HBO has not renewed the show for a second season, though it also hasn’t been formally cancelled. Nguyen published a sequel novel, The Committed, in 2021, and producers including Amanda Burrell have spoken enthusiastically about the possibility of adapting it if the network moves forward. Star and co-creator Robert Downey Jr., who famously played four different characters in the first season, has not confirmed his involvement in any continuation. For now, fans hoping to revisit the espionage thriller can stream the original season on HBO Max.
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