The international epic drama series Pachinko debuts today on Apple TV+. Pachinko tells the story of a Korean family who immigrate to Japan in the 20th century, at a time when Japanese attitudes towards Koreans was far from amicable. The first three episodes are streaming now.
The series is based on a novel of the same name, Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. The plot explores the typical 20th-century Korean experience of Japan, rife with racism and stereotypes. The story features a wide array of characters, but the core of the story revolves around Sunja and her family.
The narrative of the book is linear, but the TV show adaptation breaks up the chronology with split timelines and flashbacks contrasting Sunja’s life, as a child and adult.
The cast is stacked, featuring Korean mega-celebrity Lee Min-ho, Academy Award winner Youn Yuh-jung, Jin Ha, and more.
Pachinko is not a limited series. The eight episodes of the first season spans about one third of the book content, with some new storylines added in to flesh out certain characters. The showrunner has supposedly plotted out a four season arc, although Apple has not yet confirmed whether show has been renewed.
However, Pachinko has already received rave reviews from critics, which makes a second season seem somewhat inevitable. The series currently has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, with reviewers praising the adaptation as captivating and stellar.
How to watch Pachinko
Pachinko is presented in Japanese and Korean languages, depending on which character is speaking. To watch Pachinko without dubbing, select a Japanese or Korean audio track and enable English (not CC) subtitles.
A $4.99/mo Apple TV+ subscription gives you access to all Apple original TV shows and movies, at no extra charge. You can see our full rundown of everything available on Apple TV+ here.
Pachinko Season 1 Episode Release Date
- Pachinko Episode 1: March 25, 2022
- Pachinko Episode 2: March 25, 2022
- Pachinko Episode 3: March 25, 2022
- Pachinko Episode 4: April 1, 2022
- Pachinko Episode 5: April 8, 2022
- Pachinko Episode 6: April 15, 2022
- Pachinko Episode 7: April 22, 2022
- Pachinko Episode 8: April 29, 2022
The first three episodes of Pachinko debut today, with the remainder of the first season debuting weekly. Over the course of the next few weeks, Apple will also premiere other highly-anticipated original shows including Gary Oldman-led spy thriller ‘Slow Horses’, anthology series ‘Roar’, and ‘Shining Girls’ starring Elisabeth Moss.
