What's on TV this week—The Sympathizer and Under The Bridge
Plus, Conan O'Brien returns to TV, HBO and Paramount+ drop new docs, and more
Welcome to What’s On, our weekly picks of must-watch shows. Here’s what you need to watch from Sunday, April 14 to Thursday, April 18. All times are Eastern. [Note: The weekend edition of What’s On drops on Fridays.]
The biggies
The Sympathizer (HBO, Sunday, 9 p.m.)
HBO gives Viet Thanh Nguyen’s acclaimed 2015 novel the limited-series treatment. The Sympathizer’s protagonist is the Captain (Hoa Xuande), a North Vietnam spy in South Vietnam’s army forced to flee to America towards the end of the war. He lives with a community of refugees, but his double agent days are far from over. Robert Downey Jr. plays four different antagonistic characters here, and the cast also includes Sandra Oh, Vy Le, Fred Nguyen Khan, Toan Le, Duy Nguyễn, and Alan Trong. The A.V. Club will recap the show weekly.
Under The Bridge (Hulu, Wednesday, 12:01 a.m.)
Under The Bridge, based on Rebecca Godfrey’s book of the same name, unravels the horrifying 1997 murder of 14-year-old Reena Virk, an Indian teen bullied and killed by her peers. Riley Keough portrays Rebecca, an author visiting her Canadian hometown when the crime occurs. Lily Gladstone tackles the local police officer, Cam, while Archie Panjabi plays Reena’s grieving mother, Suman. The cast also features Anoop Desai, Javon Walton, Izzy G, and Chloe Guidry. The A.V. Club’s review publishes on Tuesday.
Hidden gems
Conan O’Brien Must Go (Max, Thursday, 3:01 a.m.)
Oh, good, Conan O’Brien is back on TV. In Conan O’Brien Must Go, the former late-night host travels to Norway, Thailand, Argentina, and Ireland to go on adventures and reunite with people he’s previously interviewed for his podcast. Here’s a bit from The A.V. Club’s review:
Straight from COMG’s opening, with its stunning aerial videography and clips of Conan’s antics set to a Werner Herzog voiceover, we see precisely what we’re going to get: freewheeling foolishness courtesy of Conan.
Dinner With The Parents (Freevee, Thursday, 12:01 a.m.)
Freevee drops another promising TV show with Dinner With The Parents, starring Michaela Watkins, Dan Bakkedahl, Jon Glaser, and Carole Kane. In it, a family’s attempt to do weekly get-togethers usually ends in pranks, unwelcome neighbors, and betrayals.
More good stuff
Ctrl+Alt+Desire (Paramount+, Tuesday, 3:01 a.m.)
Directed by Colin Archdeacon, the three episodes of Ctrl+Alt+Desire chronicle how Grant Amato—driven by personal turmoil, loneliness, and his love for a Bulgarian cam girl—executed his family in a small Florida town in 2019.
An American Bombing: The Road To April 19th (HBO, Tuesday, 9 p.m.)
An American Bombing: The Road to April 19th digs into the deadly Oklahoma City bombing of 1995, how it affected the survivors, the hunt for the perpetrators, and why it continues to have an impact today.
Can’t miss recaps
Saturday Night Live (NBC, Saturday, 11:30 p.m.)
Shōgun (FX on Hulu, Tuesday, 12:01 a.m.)
Fallout (Prime Video)
Palm Royale (Apple TV+, Wednesday, 12:01 a.m.)
Top Chef (Bravo, Wednesday, 9 p.m.)
Arriving now
The Circle (Netflix, Wednesday, 3:01 a.m., season six premiere)
The Upshaws (Netflix, Thursday, 3:01 a.m., season five premiere)
Ending soon
Family Guy (FOX, Wednesday, 9:30 p.m., season 22 finale)