Apple TV Plus drama "Pachinko", based on Lee Min-jin's best-selling novel, became one of the most highly regarded series on TV in Season 1, won authoritative honors such as the Critic Choice Award, the Independent Spirit Award, and the Peabody Award, and was named multiple critics' Best-of-the-List in 2022 It appeared Now, more than 2 years after the Season 1 finale, the 8-episode season 2 of "Pachinko" will premiere on Apple TV Plus on May 8 this year

Creator Soo Hye will be back with the main cast members to continue the decades-long story of a Korean family led by patriarch Kim Seung-ja (Yoo Jung-yoon) The second season again spans time zones, locations and languages (Korean, Japanese and English), continuing a mix of historical epics and intimate family dramas

Here's everything we know so far about "Pachinko" Season 2 

After a wait of more than two years, the second season of "Slingshot" is set to premiere August 23 on Apple TV Plus Unlike the 3rd season that debuted in Episode 1 on the first day, the 2nd season of "Pachinko" is only 1 episode a week and will unfold over 8 weeks The new episode will premiere every Friday from 8/23 to 10/11 For those who need to catch up before the new season premiere, all 8 first season episodes are still available

The main cast of "Pachinko" is expected to return to Season 2, which continues the multigenerational story told in Min Jin Lee's novel Given the vast nature of the story, "Pachinko" features many regular players over different periods, including the younger and older versions of the main characters, and many of those actors are likely to return to Season 2 as well

Since the first season premiered, stars Lee Min-ho and Anna Sawai have both returned to Season 2 of his ongoing K-pop music career, thanks to her prominent role in the hit drama "Shogun," but will probably continue to balance the responsibilities for future seasons

A new addition announced so far for "Pachinko" season 2 is Kim Seung-kyu, a K-pop star from boy band Infinite who joins the cast as Kim Chang-ho, a novel character who did not appear in the first season  Here's the official cast list for Apple TV Plus for the new season:

There are still a lot of Min Jin Lee's novels left to adapt to the second season of "Pachinko," and the series's creator, Su Hu, says she imagines the four seasons to tell the full story Given the uncertain nature of the streaming series, Hugh, like the protagonist of the series, decided to add an epilogue at the end of the first season, featuring interviews with actual Korean immigrants to Japan But that does not mean that the story of Kim Seung・ja and her descendants is over

One of the key elements of Season 2 will be Sunja's experience during World War II, after she moved from Korea to Japan and began selling kimchi in local markets "It's about her story and it's been going on since Season 1," Hugh told Deadline "It's even heavier, but still there's joy

Sunja's grandson Solomon Baek (Jin Ha) also makes a remarkable arc in the new season as he deals with a new partnership with a Japanese businessman "I just want people to understand that with Solomon we are seeing the human being that is being formed," Hugh told IndieWire "Season 1, he's just clay His story is intended to move at a slow moving pace, as it takes place for more than a year But it is divided into four seasons Sunja has the luxury of going through time just like a rocket With Solomon, we're going to get the final form at the end of the series with him"

These two characters are just part of the elaborate narrative tapestries of "Slingshot" that could get even more complicated in Season 2 "We need to not only cross time, but actually know everything that happened in between," Hugh told IndieWire "We realized in the writer's room, we're not breaking just one season, we're breaking 80 yearsThe story from its entire 80-year period continues to play out in the second season