The Sympathizer: How Is the Spy Show with 5 Robert Downey Jr's Faring So Far?

Summary:

• After Oppenheimer, Robert Downey Jr. began working on HBO’s The Sympathizer.
• This limited series is a sarcastic spy thriller about a Viet Cong mole in the US.
• Critics and viewers are loving Downey Jr’s new show, rating it over 80% on Rotten Tomatoes both.

Despite his pretty diverse portfolio, most people primarily knew Robert Downey Jr. as the Iron Man star — until Christopher Nolan ’s Oppenheimer came around, bringing the actor his first Academy Award and making the world see his dramatic chops. While a huge win, Downey Jr. didn’t plan on stopping there: he learned his potential and knew that to unleash his full power, he had to play five characters at once.

The Sympathizer: What Is It About?

It’s hard to put The Sympathizer under a strict genre definition. It’s a period drama as it’s set in the last days of the War in Vietnam; it’s a dark comedy as it tackles serious topic through sarcasm; it’s a spy thriller because the protagonist is a spy on a mission; and, of course, it’s a drama, because the stakes and tensions are high.

The TV show’s official description reads, “The Sympathizer is an espionage thriller and cross-culture satire about the struggles of a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War and his new life as a refugee in Los Angeles, where he learns that his spying days aren’t over.”

Robert Downey Jr. famously portrays five different characters in The Sympathizer to show that they are “one and the same.” So the real question is, is a TV show’s critical score directly proportionate to the number of Downey Jr’s starring in it?

The Sympathizer: How’s It Faring?

Back in the day, you’d expect a TV show starring Robert Downey Jr. to be a hit right off the bat. Today, it’s not enough anymore… But perhaps, it’s only losers who can only afford one Downey Jr. who think so. HBO’s The Sympathizer proved to be an unstoppable force that hasn’t met its immovable object amongst the critics so far.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the spy thriller series boasts an amazing 88% Critic Score and an appropriately similar 81% Audience Score; IMDb gave the show a 7.5/10 score, supporting the claim. Critics and viewers alike praise The Sympathizer’s creators and cast, and deservedly so.

The next episode of The Sympathizer will premiere on April 21, 2024.