Mushroom fans rejoice! HBO has confirmed its critically acclaimed live-action TV adaptation of The Last of Us will be returning for a second season.
It’s perhaps not particularly surprising news; The Last of Us has proven both a critical and ratings smash since it premiered on 15th January. Shortly after the show’s debut, HBO announced it had become the network’s second most-watched premiere in over a decade, with 4.7m viewers tuning in for the first episode – a figure that’s since quadrupled, garnering over 18m views in the space of a week. Episode 2, meanwhile, secured the largest week-two audience growth for an Original drama series in HBO’s history.
And now, just under three weeks into The Last of Us’ first season, HBO has confirmed there’s more on the way. “I’m so grateful to [The Last of Us co-creator] Neil Druckmann and HBO for our partnership,” showrunner and series writer Craig Mazin said of the news, “and I’m even more grateful to the millions of people who have joined us on this journey”.
Druckmann, who directed the series’ recently aired second episode, added “I’m humbled, honoured, 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 and crew, and HBO exceeded my already high expectations…Now we have the absolute pleasure of being able to do it again with season two! On behalf of everyone at Naughty Dog and PlayStation, thank you!”.
As for where the series might head next in Season 2, Druckmann recently reiterated to Buzzfeed that the team “only [wants] to adapt to games, so we don’t want to go outside of them.” Depending how Season 1 wraps up, that likely means Season 2 will be delving straight into The Last of Us: Part 2 territory. And with a third game possible – providing Naughty Dog can find a “compelling story” – the show should have enough material for a while to come.
In the more immediate term, The Last of Us Season 1’s third episode airs on Sky Atlantic next Monday morning at 2am in the UK, after which it’ll be available on-demand through Sky and Now TV. And if you’ve not yet had the chance to see what all the fuss is about, HBO has now made the series’ first episode free to watch on YouTube.
