HBO has aired two episodes of its post-apocalyptic zombie series The Last of Us to pretty much universal acclaim from both critics and fans, not to mention very strong numbers. A renewal was inevitable, and now, a couple days ahead of the show’s third episode, it has come to pass:
The journey continues. #TheLastOfUs will return for another season on @HBOMax. pic.twitter.com/FQNG6vhk1d
— The Last of Us (@TheLastofUsHBO) January 27, 2023
Yep, HBO has officially renewed The Last of Us for season 2! That means more of Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Ellie and Joel, survivors who form an unlikely bond as they traverse a zombie-ridden United States.
This first season is set to adapt the entirety of The Last of Us, the 2013 video game by Naughty Dog. That means that a second season would adapt The Last of Us Part II, which came out in 2020. And THAT…could get interesting.
Why is The Last of Us Part 2 controversial?
We won’t be giving away any spoilers here, not for the rest of The Last of Us season 1 or for what may be coming in season 2, but it suffices to say that when Part 2 came out on the PlayStation 4, there was a huge backlash online against the game. The Last of Us is a series that takes story and character very seriously, which is part of the reason why it’s translated over to TV so smoothly; they haven’t even made many changes. So by the time Part 2 came around, people were very excited to see what happened next in the story.
And what happened next…was not what they were expecting. The Last of Us Part 2 makes some very bold narrative choices that, depending on who you ask, result in a daring thrill ride that takes the characters to exciting new places or a betrayal of the original game in favor of a muddled, overly grim mess.
Personally, I’m really excited that The Last of Us showrunners Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin are going to get a chance to adapt the more challenging material in Part 2, and am curious to see how fans respond. We can get into spoilers in another post, but for now, add The Last of Us season 2 to the list of shows we’re looking forward to.
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