HBO's The Last of Us drew almost 40 million viewers to its premiere
A fungus called Cordyceps turns people into zombie-like hosts, and a smuggler must escort the one girl who might be immune. Adapted from Naughty Dog's games by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, The Last of Us became HBO's most-watched debut season and won nine Primetime Emmys.
The first season follows the 2013 game closely. Pedro Pascal plays Joel, a scarred survivor tasked with getting Bella Ramsey's Ellie out of a quarantined city and on a cross-country trek to the Fireflies, rebels hoping to make a cure. When Joel learns that producing it would kill her, he wipes out the Fireflies and their lead doctor, then lies to Ellie about what happened. The show makes Joel more fragile than his game counterpart: he is partly deaf in one ear and his knees hurt.
Season two adapts the first half of the 2020 sequel. Joel and Ellie have settled in Jackson, Wyoming, with his brother Tommy, played by Gabriel Luna, but the lie has soured their bond. Abby, played by Kaitlyn Dever, is the daughter of the doctor Joel killed, and her revenge sends Ellie and her girlfriend Dina to Seattle. The third season is planned around Abby's side of those same three days, including her encounter with Yara and Lev of a religious group called the Seraphites.
Production is lavish; it ranks among the most expensive television ever made. Season one was shot in Alberta between July 2021 and June 2022, and season two in British Columbia in 2024. Druckmann, who wrote and co-directed the games, co-wrote the nine first-season episodes with Mazin, and Halley Gross joined for the seven in season two. Gustavo Santaolalla, composer for the games, returned for the score with David Fleming. Merle Dandridge and Jeffrey Wright reprise roles they voiced in the games.
The January 15, 2023 premiere reached nearly 40 million viewers across television and streaming within two months, and episodes averaged close to 32 million by May. Season two, launched on April 13, 2025, averaged almost 37 million within two months. Many critics called it the finest video game adaptation yet, praising its acting, writing and design. A third season is expected in 2027.
Source: The Last of Us (TV series)
