The Last of Us is set to last at least a little longer, as HBO has renewed the blockbuster video game adaptation for Season 2.
The story of hardened survivor Joel (Pedro Pascal) and 14-year-old Ellie (Bella Ramsey) is now HBO’s second-biggest premiere to date, with its 22 million viewers trailing only House of the Dragon. The second episode saw a 22% viewership increase over the pilot — the largest jump in HBO’s history.
“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,” said executive producer and video game creator Neil Druckmann in a statement. “The collaboration with Craig Mazin, our incredible cast & 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 & PlayStation, thank you!”
“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,” added executive producer Craig Mazin. “The audience has given us the chance to continue, and as a fan of the characters and world Neil and Naughty Dog created, I couldn’t be more ready to dive back in.”
So far, The Last of Us has also been a treat for music fans, including a memorable needle drop with Depeche Mode. Check out our ongoing list of all the music in the series, and if you’re the type of watcher who likes to theorize, peep a theory about one of the show’s biggest secrets.
