When it premiered on HBO in January 2023, the inaugural season of The Last of Us immediately captured the imagination of the viewing public. Adapted from the immensely popular PlayStation video game with the same name, the series follows the journey of a smuggler named Joel, portrayed by Pedro Pascal, in a post-apocalyptic America, years after a devastating fungal infection has ravaged the world. Joel’s mission is to escort a young girl named Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey, across the country with the hope of finding a cure for the cordyceps fungus.

Throughout their perilous journey, they encounter other survivors, ruthless bandits, and the horrifying clickers — individuals so infected by the disease that fungal growths protrude from their bodies while they mindlessly attempt to infect those around them. The series was a stunning success — the first episode alone was viewed for over 200 million minutes, as reported by HBO in the week following its release.

What is Season 2 of ‘The Last of Us’ About?

The Last of Us was also a critical darling, garnering 24 nominations in total at the 2023 Primetime Emmy Awards, including nominations for both Pascal and Ramsey in their respective categories, as well as Outstanding Drama Series. Season 2 will follow on from an emotional cliffhanger at the end of the first, when Joel made the decision to spare Ellie’s life at the cost — potentially — of never finding a cure for the virus, such was the love he had now felt for the youngster.

The second season continues to deal with the psychological fallout, and brings in the new dynamic of Abby Anderson, a highly divisive character who is the opposite in many ways to Ramsey’s Ellie. The casting of Abby is much anticipated, and hopefully isn’t far away. The producers of the series anticipate that there will be more than one season to adapt The Last of Us Part II, which means we’ll have plenty more time to spend with Joel and Ellie.