Mac to TV HDMI connection issue

I’m trying to play videos from my 2024 MacBook Air running Sonoma to my LG smart TV using an HDMI cable with a Thunderbolt adapter. The TV will display my Mac screen, BUT all menus and folders on the Mac desktop and the mouse disappear and all I see on the Mac is my desktop image. Plus, with no visible mouse I cannot control anything on the Mac. I want to avoid a wireless connection to get optimal video performance on the TV (e.g., no video buffering issues). Any ideas on how to troubleshoot my wired connection?