If you've been patiently waiting for "Pachinko" season 2 to land on Apple TV Plus, it sounds like you're going to love it. The first critical reactions to the new series (which premieres on Friday, August 23) are now in... and they're very positive indeed.
Admittedly, that's hardly a surprise. "Pachinko" season 1 already comes highly recommended. The series premiered in 2022 and drew a ton of praise (it still has a near-perfect 97% critics' rating on the review aggregate site, Rotten Tomatoes) and attracted a lot of awards nods from around the world.
Here at Tom's Guide, we also included it on our list of the best Apple TV Plus shows you can stream right now; our writer labeled it a 'far-reaching historical epic', 'dense and layered', and, rather definitively, 'one of the best shows of the year'.
So, if you were excited to see the rest of Min Jin Lee's novel brought to life, it sounds like showrunner Soo Hugh is set to serve up another impressive season of unmissable television. Here's what those early reviews have to say about "Pachinko" season 2.
What are the critics saying about 'Pachinko' season 2?
"Pachinko" season 2 currently holds an impressive 100% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes. Admittedly, that rating only comes from just six logged reactions (at the time of writing), though the individual ratings vary from good to perfect 10/10 scores.
For Collider, Chase Hutchinson rated the series 9/10 and offered up a pretty definitive verdict: "In its second season, "Pachinko" continues to be one of the best shows on television, with excellent performances across the board".
Paste's Elijah Gonzalez was similarly positive. While he found a few 'small problems' with the second batch of episodes, Gonzalez concluded: "Pachinko" has further asserted itself as one of the best TV shows in recent memory—unflinching in its depiction of history, but not heavy-handed; warm in its portrayal of family, but not overly idealized."
And in her 10/10 review for But Why Tho?, Kate Sánchez called the series a 'masterpiece', one which 'showcases the importance of television as a medium to tell stories' and 'builds into a somber crescendo that reflects on the journey'.
The only "negative" reaction (which is still a 6/10 review) so far comes from Looper, wherein writer Alistair Ryder said: "The second season of "Pachinko" is a considerable step down from the first, but there are still frequent glimmers of what made the previous season such a quietly moving gem."
On the whole, then, it sounds like "Pachinko" season 2 will be another Apple TV Plus must-watch when it premieres on Friday, August 23.
