The Last of Us is an American post-apocalyptic drama television series created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann for HBO. Based on the video game franchise developed by Naughty Dog, the series is set decades after the collapse of society caused by a mass fungal infection that transforms its hosts into zombie-like creatures. The first season, based on 2013's The Last of Us, follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) as they travel across the United States. In the second season, based on the first half of 2020's The Last of Us Part II, they have settled in Jackson, Wyoming, with Joel's brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna) and Ellie's friends Dina (Isabela Merced) and Jesse (Young Mazino). After Joel's death, the group travels to Seattle to track down his killer, Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), who is set to be the focus of the third season.
The series follows several characters. The first season sought high-profile guest stars, such as Anna Torv as Joel's partner Tess, Merle Dandridge and Melanie Lynskey as resistance leaders Marlene and Kathleen, Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett as survivalists Bill and Frank, Rutina Wesley as Tommy's wife Maria, and Storm Reid as Ellie's best friend Riley. Wesley returned in the second season, which introduces Jeffrey Wright as militia leader Isaac, and Spencer Lord, Tati Gabrielle, Ariela Barer, and Danny Ramirez as Abby's friends Owen, Nora, Mel, and Manny, respectively.
The first season was filmed in Alberta from July 2021 to June 2022, while the second was filmed in British Columbia from February to August 2024. One of the most expensive television series, it is a joint production by Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions, Naughty Dog, the Mighty Mint, and Word Games. Druckmann, who wrote and co-directed the games, assisted Mazin with scriptwriting for the first season's nine episodes, joined by Halley Gross, who co-wrote Part II, for the second season's seven. The score was composed by Gustavo Santaolalla, who composed for the games, and David Fleming.
The Last of Us premiered on January 15, 2023. Across linear channels and HBO Max, the series premiere was watched by almost 40 million viewers within two months; the series averaged almost 32 million viewers per episode by May, and it became HBO's most watched debut season. The second season premiered on April 13, 2025, and averaged almost 37 million viewers within two months. A third season is expected to air in 2027. The series has received acclaim from critics, who praised the performances, writing, production design, direction, and score; several called it the best adaptation of a video game. It won several accolades, including nine Primetime Emmy Awards.
A film adaptation of Naughty Dog's video game The Last of Us (2013) was announced in 2014, to be written by its creative director and writer Neil Druckmann; it entered development hell by 2016 and the rights had relinquished by 2019, when Druckmann met Craig Mazin. They agreed an adaptation required a television series's length and pacing. HBO announced the series was in planning stages in March 2020, written by Mazin and Druckmann, also serving as executive producers with Carolyn Strauss and Evan Wells. It is PlayStation Productions's first show, announced as a joint production with Sony Pictures Television and Naughty Dog. HBO greenlit the series in November, adding executive producers Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan and production company Word Games, followed by production company the Mighty Mint in January 2021 and executive producer Rose Lam in February. Produced by Greg Spence and Cecil O'Connor, the first season's ten-episode count was reduced to nine during production.
On January 27, 2023, less than two weeks after the premiere, HBO renewed the series for a second season. While the first season covers the events of the first game and its downloadable expansion The Last of Us: Left Behind (2014), the second covers the first half of the sequel, The Last of Us Part II (2020); the second half is set to span up to two more seasons. The series's narrative is not set to overtake the games. Jacqueline Lesko was named an executive producer in March 2023, and O'Connor by February 2024. In January 2024, Kate Herron, Nina Lopez-Corrado, Mark Mylod, and Stephen Williams were announced as directors for the second season alongside Druckmann, Hoar, and Mazin. The season's seven-episode count was revealed in June.
HBO renewed the series for a third season on April 9, 2025, ahead of the premiere of the second. Halley Gross, who co-wrote Part II with Druckmann, joined the second season as a writer and co-executive producer, and became an executive producer for the third. Druckmann and Gross stepped away from their creative duties on the series to work on other projects in July 2025; Mazin remained as sole showrunner, with plans to direct the third-season premiere and hopes to direct a second episode. The third season is set to be longer and "significantly larger". A fourth season is expected, though Mazin had not decided by July 2025.
The Last of Us is the largest television production to be filmed in Alberta and possibly the largest in Canadian history, generating CA$182 million for Alberta and creating 1,490 jobs. According to Canadian artists union IATSE 212, the production led to a 30% increase in union membership and employment. The first season's budget of over CA$100 million—more than $10 million per episode—exceeded that of each of Game of Thrones's first five seasons, making it one of the most expensive television series. The budget increased for the second season.
