The Sympathizer Soundtrack: Directed by Park Chan-wook, Marc Munden, and Fernando Meirelles, The Sympathizer is a 2024 historical comedy-drama limited series that aired on HBO. It’s based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Viet Thanh Nguyen, and is written by Viet Thanh Nguyen and Don McKellar.
Genre: Drama, History, Thriller
Release Date: April 14, 2024
Official Synopsis: Near the end of the Vietnam War, a spy embedded in the South Vietnamese army flees to the United States and takes up residence in a refugee community, where he continues to secretly report back to the Viet Cong.
Quick Facts
| Series | The Sympathizer |
| Directors | Park Chan-wook, Marc Munden, Fernando Meirelles |
| Composer | Cho Young-wuk (also credited as Jo Yeong-wook) |
| Genre | Drama, History, Thriller |
| Network | HBO (co-production with A24 and Rhombus Media) |
| Premiere Date | April 14, 2024 |
| Score Album Label | WaterTower Music |
| Where to Stream | Max |
Note: an earlier version of this page contained a line that incorrectly referenced “Alien: Romulus” instead of The Sympathizer — a content-mixing error from our publishing process. That has been corrected below with facts specific to this series.
Who Composed The Sympathizer Score?
The original score for The Sympathizer was composed by Cho Young-wuk (romanized in some credits as Jo Yeong-wook), a longtime collaborator of director Park Chan-wook on films including Oldboy, The Handmaiden, and Decision to Leave. Music supervisor Linda Cohen (Licorice Pizza) selected the show’s licensed needle-drops. WaterTower Music released the official score album, “The Sympathizer (Soundtrack from the HBO Original Series),” digitally in 2024.
Notable Songs Featured in The Sympathizer
Alongside Cho Young-wuk’s score, the series features period-accurate needle-drops woven into specific scenes. Verified examples include:
| Song | Artist | Episode |
|---|---|---|
| Low Rider | War | 1, “Death Wish” |
| Runaway | Del Shannon | 1, “Death Wish” |
| Do I Move You? | Nina Simone | 2, “Good Little Asian” |
| I Want’a Do Something Freaky to You | Leon Haywood | 3, “Love It or Leave It” |
| Don’t Leave Me This Way | Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes ft. Teddy Pendergrass | 4, “Give Us Some Good Lines” |
| Live It Up (Pt. 1 & 2) | The Isley Brothers | 4, “Give Us Some Good Lines” |
| Hello It’s Me | The Isley Brothers | 7, “Endings Are Hard, Aren’t They?” |
We’re deliberately not publishing a full numbered tracklist for Cho Young-wuk’s score cues themselves, since HBO/WaterTower haven’t published individual score-cue titles in a form we can independently verify — you can hear the complete score and featured songs on Spotify and Apple Music.
Trailer: You can watch the official trailer for The Sympathizer on YouTube, where you can get a glimpse of the story.
The series stars Robert Downey Jr., Hoa Xuande, Scott Ly, Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, Tom Dang, Tien Pham, Nguyen Cao Ky Duyen, Kieu Chinh, Kayli Tran, VyVy Nguyen, and Diem Truong, with Sandra Oh, Vy Le, and others in supporting roles.
“The Sympathizer” is a co-production between HBO, A24, and Rhombus Media. Don McKellar served as co-showrunner. Executive producers include Park Chan-wook, Viet Thanh Nguyen, Amanda Burrell, Kim Ly, Niv Fichman, Ron Schmidt, Jisun Back, Fernando Meirelles, Mark Richard, Susan Downey, Ravi Nandan, and Hallie Sekoff.
Where to Stream The Sympathizer
The full limited series is streaming on Max. The score/soundtrack album is available on Spotify and Apple Music.
How Was The Sympathizer Received?
The series was well-reviewed, holding an 89% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 8.3/10; critics praised the performances and Park Chan-wook’s direction, while noting some pacing issues. At the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards, Robert Downey Jr. earned the show’s sole nomination, for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who composed The Sympathizer score?
Cho Young-wuk (also credited as Jo Yeong-wook), a frequent Park Chan-wook collaborator known for Oldboy, The Handmaiden, and Decision to Leave.
Is there an official soundtrack album for The Sympathizer?
Yes, WaterTower Music released a digital score album, though individual score-cue titles aren’t fully published in a form we can independently verify — the album streams on Spotify and Apple Music.
What songs are featured in The Sympathizer?
Licensed needle-drops include War’s “Low Rider,” Del Shannon’s “Runaway,” Nina Simone’s “Do I Move You?,” and The Isley Brothers’ “Live It Up” and “Hello It’s Me,” among others, selected by music supervisor Linda Cohen.
Where can I watch The Sympathizer?
The series streams on Max.
How was The Sympathizer received?
It holds an 89% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, and Robert Downey Jr. received an Emmy nomination for his supporting role.
Is The Sympathizer based on a book?
Yes, it adapts Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2015 novel of the same name.
Related reading: TV Soundtracks hub, Streaming hub, and Alien: Romulus Soundtrack.