HBO snags the title for the “least surprising news” announcement of 2023. Granted, the year is young. The network confirmed The Last of Us starring Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) and Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones) has been renewed for a second season. Are you surprised? No? Neither are the 22 million viewers who’ve checked out episode one.
The Last of Us debuted to the second-largest audience, with only House of the Dragon drawing in more eyeballs.
“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 and co-creator Craig Mazin. “The audience has given us the chance to continue, and as a fan of the characters and world Neil (Druckmann, co-creator) and Naughty Dog created, I couldn’t be more ready to dive back in.”
The series pulled off an impressive stunt by increasing its viewership by 22% for episode two. According to HBO, that growth is the highest of any HBO original drama in the network’s history.
“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.”
The sci-fi action-adventure series is based on Naughty Dog’s video game developed for Playstation. Mazin and Druckmann serve as writers and executive producers. Additional executive producers include Carolyn Strauss, Evan Wells, Asad Qizilbash, Carter Swan, and Rose Lam.
“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!”
In addition to Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie, season one’s cast includes Gabriel Luna as Tommy, Anna Torv as Tess, Nico Parker as Sarah, Murray Bartlett as Frank, Nick Offerman as Bill, Melanie Lynskey as Kathleen, and Storm Reid as Riley. Merle Dandridge is Marlene, Jeffrey Pierce is Perry, Lamar Johnson is Henry, Keivonn Woodard is Sam, Graham Greene is Marlon, and Elaine Miles is Florence.
The nine-episode first season premiered on Sunday, January 15, 2023 at 9pm ET/PT. The season finale is set for March 12th.
The Plot: The Last of Us takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal and heartbreaking journey as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.
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