The Sympathizer is a period spy thriller and dark comedy series created by Park Chan-wook and Don McKellar. Based on a 2015 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Vietnamese author Viet Thanh Nguyen, the HBO series follows the story of the Captain, a North Vietnam spy planted in the army of South Vietnam but when he is forced to flee to the United States, he keeps gathering information on his community to send it back to the Viet Cong. The Sympathizer stars Hoa Xuande in the lead role with Robert Downey Jr., Toan Le, Fred Nguyen Khan, Duy Nguyễn, Vy Le, Ky Duyen, Kieu Chinh, Alan Trong, and Sandra Oh starring in supporting roles. If you loved the spy thriller and dark comedy aspects of The Sympathizer here are some similar shows you could watch next.
The Americans (Hulu & Rent on Prime Video)
The Americans is a period spy drama series created by Joe Weisberg. The FX series is set during Ronald Reagan’s presidency and it follows the story of two KGB spies Philip and Elizabeth who are in an arranged marriage posing as the perfect American couple in suburban Washington D.C. while gathering sensitive information to send back home. The Americans stars Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys in the lead roles with Noah Emmerich, Holly Taylor, Keidrich Sellati, Costa Ronin, Brandon J. Dirden, and Margo Martindale starring in supporting roles.
Patriot (Prime Video)
Patriot is an espionage dark comedy-drama series created by Steven Conrad. The Prime Video series follows the story of intelligence officer John Taverner who is given the task of preventing Iran from going nuclear and to do that he must assume a dangerous non-official cover (NOC) as a mid-level employee at a Milwaukee industrial piping firm. Patriot stars Michael Dorman in the lead role with Kurtwood Smith, Michael Chernus, Kathleen Munroe, Aliette Opheim, Chris Conrad, Terry O’Quinn, and Debra Winger starring in supporting roles.
Slow Horses (Apple TV+)
Slow Horses is a British spy thriller and dark comedy series written by Will Smith, Morwenna Banks, Mark Denton, and Jonny Stockwood. Based on a novel series titled Slough House by author Mick Herron, the Apple TV+ series follows a group of MI5 agents who have been transferred to a place known as Slough House where spies’ careers go to die under the command of a once great spy but now miserable Jackson Lamb. Slow Horses stars Gary Oldman and Jack Lowden in the lead roles with Kristin Scott-Thomas, Saskia Reeves, Olivia Cooke, Rosalind Eleazar, Christopher Chung, Steven Waddington, Dustin Demri-Burns, and Paul Higgins starring in supporting roles.
Hunters (Prime Video)
Hunters is an alternate history action drama series created by David Weil. A number of real Nazi hunters inspires the Prime Video series through the decades. Set in 1977 New York, Hunters follows a group of diverse Nazi hunters as they catch and kill Nazis who are conspiring to create a Fourth Reich in the United States. Hunters stars Logan Lerman in the lead role with Al Pacino, Jerrika Hinton, Lena Olin, Saul Rubinek, Carol Kane, Josh Radnor, Greg Austin, Tiffany Boone, Louis Ozawa, Kate Mulvany, Dylan Baker, and Jennifer Jason Leigh starring in supporting roles.
Tehran (Apple TV+)
Tehran is an Israeli spy thriller series created by Moshe Zonder, Dana Eden, and Maor Kohn. The Apple TV+ series follows the story of a young Mossad agent and computer hacker as she is sent on a dangerous mission to infiltrate Tehran to destroy Iran’s nuclear reactor but when her mission she must live out her false life while trying to come up with a plan to get out of there without jeopardizing the lives of the people she loves. Tehran stars Niv Sultan in the lead role with Shaun Toub, Glenn Close, Shervin Alenabi, Liraz Charhi, Shila Ommi, Menashe Noy, Arash Marandi, Navid Negahban, and Esti Yerushalmi starring in supporting roles.
The Spy (Netflix)
The Spy is a French English period espionage thriller series created by Gideon Raff. Based on the life of Israel’s top Mossad spy Eli Cohen and the book titled L’espion qui venait d’Israël by authors Uri Dan and Yeshayahu Ben Porat, the Netflix series follows the story of Eli Cohen, a prominent Israeli spy who infiltrates the Syrian government in the 1960s. The Spy stars Sacha Baron Cohen in the lead role with Hadar Ratzon-Rotem, Yael-Eitan, Noah Emmerich, Nassim Lyes, Moni Moshonov, Alona Tal, and Mourad Zaoui starring in supporting roles.
The Little Drummer Girl (Rent on Prime Video)
The Little Drummer Girl is a British espionage drama series created by Michael Lesslie and Claire Wilson. Based on a 1983 novel of the same name by British author John le Carré, the BBC series is set in 1979 and it follows the story of an aspiring English who Mossad recruits to infiltrate a Palestinian group plotting terrorism in Europe. The Little Drummer Girl stars Florence Pugh in the lead role with Alexander Skarsgård, Michael Shannon, Michael Moshonov, Simona Brown, Clare Holman, and Charles Dance starring in supporting roles.
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