What Is The Last of Us?
The Last of Us is an HBO drama series based on the acclaimed PlayStation video game created by Naughty Dog, following smuggler Joel as he escorts immune teenager Ellie across a United States destroyed by a Cordyceps fungal pandemic.
Blending horror, road‑trip adventure, and intimate character study, the series focuses less on spectacle and more on relationships, trauma, and the moral gray areas people inhabit when society collapses.
Season 1, released in 2023, was widely praised for its writing, direction, and performances, turning a beloved game into one of HBO’s flagship prestige dramas and setting the stage for a multi‑season adaptation.
Season 2 and the Show’s Current Impact
Season 2 premiered in April 2025 and begins adapting The Last of Us Part II, jumping forward several years to an older Ellie living in the settlement of Jackson and grappling with complicated new relationships and unresolved tension with Joel.
The season is shorter than Season 1 but zeroes in on key emotional turning points, including the devastating act of violence that launches Ellie on a revenge‑driven journey, alongside new infected types and original story beats that expand on the game.
Its weekly release has dominated social media conversations, reinforcing The Last of Us as the benchmark for game adaptations and sparking intense debate about narrative choices, character focus, and how far a TV series can push audiences emotionally.
Season 3 and the Future of The Last of Us
HBO has renewed The Last of Us for a third season, expected around 2027, with network executives describing it as longer and significantly larger in scale than Season 2, more in line with the episode count and scope of Season 1.
Season 3 will continue adapting The Last of Us Part II and is set to spotlight Abby, portrayed by Kaitlyn Dever, while still weaving in Ellie’s arc, reflecting the game’s dual‑perspective structure and further complicating the story’s themes of revenge and empathy.
Co‑creator Neil Druckmann has stepped back from daily showrunning duties, leaving Craig Mazin as sole showrunner, and both have indicated that a fourth season is likely needed to fully complete the Part II storyline, suggesting a planned, finite narrative rather than an endlessly extended franchise.