HBO’s The Last of Us is rapidly approaching its second season, set to arrive in April, and it sure as hell ain’t looking like a happy time. Those who have played The Last of Us: Part II know it’s a long video game full of twists and gut punches, so it comes as no surprise to hear that the current plan is to make at least two more seasons after this one.
The post-apocalyptic saga became much bigger and deeper with the release of the second game in 2020, and season 2 of the show is set to follow the same path after its commitment to fidelity, all while expanding on certain fronts and making a few intelligent tweaks, paid off big time with casual viewers and longtime fans alike.
“We don’t have a complete or final plan, but I think it’s looking like four seasons. I wouldn’t want to confirm that, but it’s looking like this season and then two more seasons after this and we’re done,” current HBO drama chief Francesca Orci said (via Deadline).
Craig Mazin and Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann, who jointly created and have been shepherding the HBO series, teased the same last year. “We don’t think that we’re going to be able to tell the story even within two seasons [2 and 3] because we’re taking our time and go down interesting pathways which we did a little bit in Season 1 too,” Mazin explained.
Fans of the games will also be well aware of how the harsh world of The Last of Us is quickly expanded as new factions and several new characters are introduced. While we may not properly meet all of them this season, Orci made sure to highlight how that’s a large part of what makes season 2 so interesting: “There’s certain elements in terms of the various factions that are competing for survival that reveal themselves as a really intriguing survivalist group, and I think they just have a quality to them that feels distinct in how they present it.”
We’re still waiting for a definitive release date for The Last of Us season 2, but that could change any day now with a proper full trailer that elaborates a bit on the plot and the new relationship dynamics while teasing a bunch of the new threats for the viewers that are going in blind.
For TLOU as a franchise, more seasons of HBO’s hit series may be the only new addition for what’s left of the decade, as Naughty Dog’s expansive multiplayer take on the IP was canned in late 2023 and Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet will keep the studio busy for the foreseeable.