Filled with creepy crawlers, an apocalyptic story, and themes of found family, HBO’s The Last of Us has quickly become a fan favorite. The show was renewed for a second season after premiering two episodes. The drama series adapted from the popular video game by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann.
The Last of Us has been named the HBO’s second largest debut, following the massive success of House of the Dragon. HBO reported that the premiering episode surpassed 22 million viewers in the United States. The second episode was viewed by over 5.7 million households across HBO Max and telecasts last Sunday (Jan. 22), marking a 22% increase from the previous episode.
Francesa Orsi, Head of HBO Drama Series and Films, spoke about the show’s success in a statement: “Craig and Neil, alongside EP Carolyn Strauss, and the rest of our phenomenal cast and crew, have defined a genre with their masterful debut season of The Last of Us.”
Oris continued to call the first season “unforgettable” and added, “I can’t wait to watch this team outshine themselves again with season two.”
Duckmann wrote in a statement, “I’m humbled, honored, and frankly overwhelmed that so many people have tuned in and connected with our retelling of Joel and Ellie’s journey,” and stated that his collaboration with HBO and others has “exceeded” his “already high expectations.”
Mazin added, “The audience has given us the chance to continue, and as a fan of the characters and world Neil and Naughty Dog created, I couldn’t be more ready to dive back in.”
Fans were quick to rejoice over the good news and took to Twitter to share their excitement – however, some expressed that they are fearful of what’s to come. (Don’t worry, we won’t share any spoilers here!)
The fact that The Last Of Us got renewed for season 2 after having only 2 episodes released is insane. I'm so glad this story has grown past the gaming world and is now accessible to everyone, and for a good reason obviously! This really shows how appreciated video games should
— ProbablyRem (@indistr3ss) January 27, 2023
The Last of Us takes place during an apocalyptic event and follows survivors Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) as they escape an “oppressive quarantine zone.” The synopsis teases, “What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal and heartbreaking journey as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.”
The show has critical acclaim on Rotten Tomatoes, garnering a 97% approval rating. Decider’s Joel Keller wrote in his review, “With any show like this, the ability to build the world both before and after the apocalypse happens is key, and Mazin and Druckmann are able to do this.” Decider’s Kayla Cobb compared the series to the video game, calling it “one of the greatest and most inspired video game adaptations brought to screen.”
In addition to Pascal and Ramsey, the show stars Gabriel Luna as Tommy, Anna Torv as Tess, Nico Parker as Sarah, Murray Bartlett as Frank, Nick Offerman as Bill, and Melanie Lynskey as Kathleen.
New episodes of The Last of Usthe episode guide here.
