The first season of The Last of Us covered the entirely of the first video game in The Last of Us series from Naughty Dog. Joel (Pedro Pascal) escorted the young Ellie (Bella Ramsey) across a zombie-ridden United States, they grew attached, Joel killed a hospital full of freedom fighters to prevent them from killing Ellie in order to synthesize a zombie cure based on her unique immunity, and that was that.
The upcoming second season of The Last of Us premieres this Sunday. It will adapt the second video game in the series,The Last of Us Part II, which is much bigger than the first. It's so big that it will take more than one season to cover. So when The Last of Us season 2 finale airs next month, don't expect the story to wrap up; showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann will need at least another season, if not two; they themselves aren't certain yet.
But they're on their way. HBO just announced that the show is officially renewed for season 3. Again, we don't know if that will be the final season or if Mazin and Druckmann will go for four. But at least we know season 3 is in the offing. That's enough for now.
That HBO has renewed The Last of Us for season 3 before season 2 has even aired is a vote of confidence in the new episodes. We've actually gotten to watch those episodes ahead of time and are happy to report that this confidence is well-founded. The new season is great; I just wish it had more than seven episodes.
For what it's worth, Mazin has said that season 3 will be "significantly larger" than season 2. That's nice to hear, but what I'm mostly worried about is the wait between seasons. I'm glad HBO is renewing The Last of Us this early so Mazin, Druckmann and their crew can get moving. But even if production on season 3 starts up later this year, and I now have hope that it will, we're probably still looking at a long wait between seasons 2 and 3. It feels like a wait of two years has become standard for huge tentpole shows like this. Yes, quality takes time, but I'm selfish: I want quality and quantity.
But I suppose we can cross that bridge when we come to it. For now, I'm glad the show is renewed. Season 2 premieres on HBO and Max this Sunday night, April 13.
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