After seeing a significant increase in viewership between the first and second episodes of The Last of Us, HBO is renewing the apocalyptic drama for another season. The Last of Us is HBO’s second-largest debut after House of the Dragon, with 22 million subscribers tuning in for the start of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie’s (Bella Ramsey) story. Episode 2 of The Last of Us scored 5.7 million viewers, marking a 22% jump from the debut episode, with more than 1 million additional viewers. In other words, The Last of Us Season 2 is a no-brainer.
Per today’s official press release:
“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,'” said Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming, Head of HBO Drama Series and Films. “After pulling off this unforgettable first season, I can’t wait to watch this team outshine themselves again with season two.”
“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. The collaboration with Craig Mazin, our incredible cast & crew, and HBO exceeded my already high expectations,” said executive producer Neil Druckmann. “Now we have the absolute pleasure of being able to do it again with season two! On behalf of everyone at Naughty Dog & PlayStation, thank you!”
“I’m so grateful to Neil Druckmann and HBO for our partnership, and I’m even more grateful to the millions of people who have joined us on this journey,” said executive producer Craig Mazin. “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.”
While there are no plot details for The Last of Us Season 2, Mazin, Druckman, and the rest of their team have plenty of material to lift from the 2020 sequel to The Last of Us, The Last of Us 2. In the sequel, Ellie and Joel continue their quest to survive after the Cordyceps brain infection destroys most of humanity. Several new characters join the brutal sequel, which gives players control over new protagonists and antagonists.
Season one stars Pedro Pascal as Joel, Bella Ramsey as Ellie, Gabriel Luna as Tommy, Anna Torv as Tess, Nico Parker as Sarah, Murray Bartlett as Frank, Nick Offerman as Bill, Melanie Lynskey as Kathleen, Storm Reid as Riley, Merle Dandridge as Marlene, Jeffrey Pierce as Perry, Lamar Johnson as Henry, Keivonn Woodard as Sam, Graham Greene as Marlon, and Elaine Miles as Florence. Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker also star.
Are you excited about The Last of Us Season 2 coming to HBO? Is The Last of Us the best video game adaptation for film or television? Let us know what you think in the comments.