The Sympathizer season 2: Could it happen? EP explains

The Sympathizer season 1
Photo: HBO

On paper, it would be easy to argue that the odds of there being The Sympathizer season 2 on HBO are pretty slim. After all, the network billed the Robert Downey Jr. project from the start as a limited series, and there is not any indicator that they are shifting away from that.

However, there are some other things to consider here, as well, starting with the fact that HBO has made limited series into something long-lasting in the past. They did this previously with Big Little Lies, and there is actually in advantage to do it here! After all, there is more source material out there — Viet Thanh Nguyen published a sequel story The Committed only a few years ago. There is something more, in theory, that could be adapted!

Speaking to TV Insider, writer and executive producer Don McKellar addresses the idea of doing more of this story — he is interested, but this is also not solely his decision to make:

“There is a second book, so there’s that. This was hard. It was hard to get this together, but I would love to [make another season]. Definitely like the Captain, I feel like there’s space to move on. The story definitely continues … I haven’t had any official discussion with HBO.”

What makes the idea of another season here so difficult to gauge is rather simple: The network does not often release full viewership for any of their shows. Live ratings are only a tiny piece of the puzzle in this current era, given that there are a lot of other things to be gauged in between Max, DVR viewership, and also repeat airings. These things all come together in a way that can give you a more complete sense of things … or at least they did if we had all the data.

Of course, even if we did, there’s another part of the mystery that gets taken into account here: The budget. Without knowing that, it is incredibly hard to consider what HBO would want.

Do you most want to see The Sympathizer season 2 on HBO happen?

Be sure to share right now in the attached comments! Once you do just that, remember to also come back — there are so many other updates that are coming down the road.

Love TV? Be sure to like Matt & Jess on Facebook for more updates!