Pachinko renewed for a second season at Apple TV Plus
Created by Soo Hugh, Pachinko is based on Min Jin Lee's novel of the same name
Aux News Pachinko
Pachinko, Apple TV+’s epic period drama series that follows four generations of one Korean immigrant family, is officially returning. The streamer announced the show will be back for a second season—which also means, you know, (at least in this writer’s case) more sobbing is coming your way through additional episodes of the sweeping and poignant show.
In a press release, showrunner Soo Hugh says, “Words cannot express my joy in being able to continue telling the extraordinary story of this indomitable family.” At the center of that family is Sunja, Pachinko’s resilient protagonist. Viewers see Sunja at various stages: first as a child, as a teenager who—in a move that changes the course of her life—meets antihero Hansu (Lee Minho), as a young mother and married woman who raises her son Noa in Japan, and then as a grandmother to Solomon, who is a successful businessman in the U.S.
In The A.V. Club’s review of Pachinko’s first season, Saloni Gajjar writes, “It’s hard not to proclaim Pachinko as one of the best new shows of the year.” Gajjar also explains of the show, “There’s an unwavering universal resonance with the show’s—and its source material’s—exploration of freedom and identity. Pachinko is timeless in how it grapples with the complexities of immigration during very specific times, and the writing accurately captures the longing for—and meaning of—home.”
Pachinko’s cast includes Oscar-winning actress Yuh-Jung Youn, K-drama vet Minho, Jin Ha (Love Life), Minha Kim, Jimmi Simpson (Westworld), Anna Sawai, Eunchae Jung, Inji Jeong, Junwoo Han, Kaho Minami, Steve Sanghyun Noh, Soji Arai, and Yuna.
Kogonada and Justin Chon directed four episodes each of the first season, and the pair are also executive producers. Michael Ellenberg and Lindsey Springer, Theresa Kang-Lowe, and Richard Middleton are also executive producers on the series.
No word yet on when we can expect Pachinko’s second season to hit Apple TV+, but in an interview with Deadline, Hugh promises that “the stakes get even bigger and it’s actually even more dramatic.”
4 Comments
I was under the impression this was a miniseries which adapted the entire novel. Was I mistaken? Is there more to adapt?
Having read the book, there is a bunch more that they haven’t even gotten to yet. I was also under the assumption that it was a miniseries, but I’m glad it’s getting a S2, it’s really good.
I complain a lot about the AV Club and how the comments section died down during the Kinjapocalypse, but sometimes it comes through with the relevant information. Kudos.
The season finale ends with many unresolved story lines, and adds a few extra minutes of real life interviews (recorded in 2021) of Korean grannies who moved to Japan back when they were young girls/teens. A rather odd epilogue, but it included a few seconds of footage of Sunja through the years, smiling and laughing. IMHO, that was so odd because nothing good happens to her during most of her life. Like the main titles, in which everyone is happily dancing, this show is not uplifting or some celebration of life. Drama or not, her life is a tragedy.