Apple TV drama's S2 trailer appeared from nowhere – S1 has near-perfect 97% score

Pachinko season 2 looks set to deliver more excellence

Pachinko
(Image credit: Apple TV+)

Apple's quest to become a serious player in the streaming space continues – although there are reports suggesting things might slow down at some point.

For now, though, it's just debuted a trailer for the next season of the critically-acclaimed show Pachinko, based on the best-selling novel of the same name, and it looks like an emotional exploration of more of the book.

Pachinko — Season 2 Official Trailer | Apple TV+ - YouTube Pachinko — Season 2 Official Trailer | Apple TV+ - YouTube
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This time around we're going to be plunged into wartime as our cast of characters vie with the difficulties of surviving in Japan during the Second World War – especially as Korean immigrants.

In another part of the timeline, it's 1989, and another generation is trying to find its feet in a world of brutal business decisions and discrimination. Expect more emotional depth than ever and plenty of tense moments.

The first season of Pachinko was a hit with critics, garnering a really impressive 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes, but there's no doubt Apple will be aiming to help the show break out and find a bigger audience this time around. 

The new season's trailer comes against the backdrop of news that Apple might be planning to slim down some of its future productions to rein in the massive spending that it's overseen in a bid to become a proper competitor in Hollywood. This has seen it pull in awards and great reviews from all quarters, but it looks like the number of people actually watching content on Apple TV+ can't match the quality of those shows and movies.

In a lengthy look at the streaming market right now, Bloomberg has reported that Apple is instructing its studios to get spending under control now that it knows a little more about the filmmaking business – in the belief that it can maintain high-quality output without breaking the bank quite as much as it has been. 

This is really all underlined by one punchy statistic from the report: "Apple TV+ generates less viewing in one month than Netflix does in one day." That's hard to argue with, but we can only hope that any cuts in spending don't result in one of the best streaming services out there getting less enticing. 

Max Freeman-Mills

Max is a freelance writer with years of experience in tech and entertainment. He's also a gaming expert, both with the games themselves and in testing accessories and consoles, having flexed that expertise at Pocket-lint as a features editor. He has tested all manner of tech too, from headphones and speakers to apps and software.