In the past decade, the term “prestige television” has been given a new meaning, as many of the film industry’s most acclaimed directors have begun working on projects with television networks and streaming services. The Sympathizer is a witty and subversive espionage thriller that hails from the acclaimed filmmaker Park Chan-wook; while Park earned notoriety for powerful thrillers such as Oldboy and The Handmaiden, The Sympathizer has managed to reframe the Vietnam War narrative from a different perspective.

Set after the fall of Saigon, The Sympathizer follows a communist spy known as “The Captain” (Hoa Xuande) as he attempts to infiltrate various levels of western institutions. The Sympathizer is a blend of genres that combines thriller, espionage, action, and dark comedy elements, making it perfectly suited for television fans with different areas of interest. Although it seems unlikely that The Sympathizer will receive a second season, as it was announced as a miniseries, the show may help viewers understand the creative possibilities of prestige television. Here are ten great shows to watch if you liked The Sympathizer.

10 ‘The Young Pope’ (2017)

Starring Jude Law and John Malkovich

One of the greatest qualities of The Sympathizer is the socio-political commentary that Park inserts through his stylistic popular culture references and needle drops. The Young Pope takes a similarly subversive approach to modern religious institutions, and chronicles the frantic fight at the top of the Catholic Church to remain the world’s most dominant religion. Helmed in its entirety by acclaimed Italian filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino, The Young Pope shows a similar bravery as The Sympathizer in blending sincere character moments with shocking moments of absurdity.

The Sympathizer has succeeded in giving Robert Downey Jr. one of the best roles of his career, but The Young Pope features a standout performance by Jude Law as a young American who is named as the Church’s new leader. The series was popular enough that it inspired the sequel The New Pope starring John Malkovich.

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9 ‘The Americans’ (2013-2018)

Starring Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys

Spy shows have been popular for generations, but The Sympathizer aims to show a more realistic depiction of how challenging it can be to hold different identities while going undercover. The brilliant FX series The Americans explores the ramifications of being lost in one’s secret identity as it follows two Russian spies (Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell) who pretend to be a married couple in the United States. Despite being assigned to inform on American activities, the characters begin to question their loyalties when they become adjusted to their new home.

While many shows struggle to retain a consistent level of quality, The Americans ran for six great seasons without any bad episodes. The show also features a pitch perfect season finale with “Start” that beautifully wrapped up the family drama that had been set up since the pilot episode.

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8 ‘Irma Vep’ (2022)

Starring Alicia Vikander

While The Sympathizer is primarily focused on spycraft and governmental conflict, the fourth episode of the series delves into the production of a major Hollywood war movie set in North Vietnam. Those interested in more satirical examinations of the film industry should check out Oliver Assayas’ inventive reboot of Irma Vep; the limited event HBO miniseries is a spiritual continuation of Assayas’ 1996 cult classic of the same name, and replaced Maggie Cheung with Alicia Vikander in one of the best roles of her entire career.

Like The Sympathizer, Irma Vep features gorgeous production design, nuanced performances, elaborate sets, and period-accurate costumes that help the viewer immerse themselves in the world of cinema. While not all of the characters are necessarily “likeable,” Irma Vep still offers insight on the rigors of the creative process that any television buff may find intriguing.

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7 ‘The Pacific’ (2010)

Starring Joseph Mazello and Rami Malek

The Sympathizer feels like a breath of fresh air because it is a series that is unafraid to tackle the banality of war; while Park doesn’t necessarily lionize the Communist regime in North Vietnam, he points out the egregious savagery committed by the American military. The brilliant historical miniseries The Pacific examined the horrors of the Japanese theater of combat during the height of World War II. The show’s American soldiers are forced to reckon with the brutality of the conflict, leading them to question their patriotism.

Like The Sympathizer, The Pacific features graphic violence that shows the truly destructive ramifications of warfare. While it was produced as a sequel series to the other HBO World War II drama Band of Brothers, The Pacific is a far more nuanced and memorable story. Breakout performances from Joseph Mazello and Rami Malek only elevate the series.

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6 ‘Mr. Robot’ (2015-2019)

Starring Rami Malek and Christian Slater

The Sympathizer shows a far less sensationalized side of espionage that what is commonly seen on television; the series delves into The Captain’s process of feigning innocence as he attempts to unravel larger conspiracies. Mr. Robot was a unique take on hacker culture that became known for its frequent twists and turns; like The Sympathizer, it was a series that required its viewers to pay close attention in order to ensure that they didn’t miss any details.

Mr. Robot was almost entirely helmed by filmmaker Sam Esmail, who would later find success with his Netflix thriller Leave The World Behind. It’s impressive that Mr. Robot continued to feel like a novel work of art that never conformed to cliches; subsequent seasons of the show continued to get weirder and more psychological. However, the pitch perfect ending indicated that Esmail knew what he was doing from the very beginning.

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5 ‘Mindhunter’ (2017-2019)

Starring Jonathan Groff and Holt McCallany

Compared to other espionage shows, The Sympathizer goes in depth exploring the psychology of its characters, questioning how their past experiences shaped them into the morally checkered people they became. David Fincher’s brilliant psychological thriller Mindhunter explores the FBI’s early investigation into the psychology of criminals. Loosely based on the same true story that inspired Manhunter and The Silence of the Lambs, Mindhunter combines psychological horror and nuanced characterization to be one of the most challenging works of television in the modern era.

Despite two great seasons, Minhunter was not renewed for a third season, which is disappointing considering Fincher’s ambitious plans to take the show into Hollywood. Nonetheless, Mindhunter is a series that explored the hidden psychopaths that exist in reality, and should provide more than enough entertainment for those that appreciated Park’s unique take on espionage in The Sympathizer.

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4 ‘Escape at Dannemora’ (2018)

Starring Paul Dano and Benicio del Toro

While The Sympathizer is not directly based on real historical figures, it draws inspiration from accounts of the Vietnam War to create an authentic depiction of the Cold War era. The brilliant miniseries Escape at Dannemora is based on a similarly bizarre true story about two dangerous prisoners (Paul Dano and Benicio del Toro) who escaped from a highly guarded facility after having sexual relations with a prison employee (Patricia Arquette). Seven episodes in length, Escape at Dannemora refuses to let go of its tension until the series reaches its climactic final installment.

Like The Sympathizer, Escape at Dannemora succeeds due to the strength of its directorial vision. The entire series was helmed by Ben Stiller; despite starting off his career behind the camera directing films like Tropic Thunder and Zoolander, Stiller began to work on more serious projects with Escape at Dannemora and the acclaimed Apple TV+ science fiction series Severance.

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3 ‘Generation Kill’ (2008)

Starring Alexander Skargard and James Ransome

The Sympathizer is unsparing in its depiction of warfare and civil tension; Park suggests that violence does not do any good, and that both sides of the conflict end up paying the ultimate price due to the decisions made by their governments. The Emmy-award winning HBO miniseries Generation Kill explored the early stage of the Iraq War from the perspective of a world-weary journalist. The series showed that improper planning led to significant civilian casualties, and ended up causing more international headaches than anything else.

Like The Sympathizer, Generation Kill is both deeply cynical and surprisingly funny, crafting a more mature depiction of international relations than what is commonly seen on television. Although Alexander Skarsgard gave a breakout performance long before the popularity of Big Little Lies and Succession, the entire ensemble of actors cast as soldiers were uniformly excellent.

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2 ‘Full Circle’ (2023)

Starring Claire Danes and Timothy Olyphant

The Sympathizer is a unique series in that it does not feature traditional “hero” and “villain” roles; a majority of the characters prove themselves capable of doing terrible things, even if they believe it is for a just cause. Full Circle is a similarly nuanced crime series that examines a morally compromising situation involving the kidnapping of a wealthy teenager. Director Steven Soderbergh creates a high-wire act of tension that examines responses from the family, law enforcement, legal professionals, and media outlets intertwined in the crime.

Like The Sympathizer, Full Circle uses its conflict to examine systematic divisions, and calls attention to the wealth disparity. These mature themes help elevate Full Circle above other kidnapping dramas, drawing in the influence of classical neo-noir cinema. It also features no shortage of great actors, with Claire Danes and Timothy Olyphant in particular doing standout work.

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1 ‘Chernobyl’ (2019)

Starring Jared Harris and Stellan Skarsgard

The Sympathizer asks serious questions about how so many people could be blind to a horrific tragedy that is hiding in plain sight; it reframed the narratives surrounding the Vietnam War by criticizing the spread of information and rejection of logic. The HBO miniseries Chernobyl examined one of the most devastating disasters in human history, detailing how the denial of truth led to lasting environmental damage and countless innocent lives lost.

Like The Sympathizer, Chernobyl is not an easy series to watch, as it contains both graphic moments of violence and emotionally punishing character moments that may be uncomfortable for even the most steely viewers. Nevertheless, the insights that Chernobyl has on an underrepresented moment from history make it a bold and necessary series to view to understand why a tragedy like this should never be allowed to occur again.

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KEEP READING: 'The Sympathizer's Latest Episode Tackles the Complicated Legacy of Vietnam War Movies