HBO Executive Reveals How Many Seasons The Last of Us Will Have

Of all the video game adaptations in recent years, one that has risen to the top is HBO’s The Last of Us TV series. While the show is yet to release its second season, the executives at HBO are already looking ahead to the endgame of the show.

The Last of Us stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel and Ellie, the beloved characters from Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptic video game series. While Season 1 of the HBO series covered the entirety of the first The Last of Us game, Season 2 will begin to tackle the much larger story in the second game. The Last of Us Part 2 was much more ambitious in its storytelling, introducing a five-year time jump, multiple new characters and locations, and switching the perspective of the player. To cover the same area in the TV show adaptation it’s expected The Last of Us will require more than one season.

The Last of Us Potential Season Count Revealed

Showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann previously hinted that The Last of Us may require a third or fourth season to cover the story of the second game. That suggestion is progressively becoming more likely as HBO executive Francesca Orsi revealed to Deadline at the afterparty for The White Lotus this week. The executive said The Last of Us is shaping up to last four seasons, but didn’t want to commit too definitively to that number. “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,” she said.

HBO is yet to officially renew The Last of Us for any seasons beyond the second, but given these comments, it seems Season 3 is all but confirmed. Mazin and Druckmann said they had no intentions to tell any story beyond the games, so when the series reaches the end of The Last of Us Part 2’s story it will come to an end (unless Naughty Dog decides to make a third The Last of Us game).

As mentioned, The Last of Us Part 2 is a much larger game than the first, but exactly how far through its story Season 2 will get remains a mystery. The second game also has a more convoluted timeline structure, which could change how the story is adapted for television. Trailers for The Last of Us Season 2 have hinted the series will cover the Jackson prologue and at least a portion of Ellie’s story in Seattle, but whether the TV show will also cover Abby’s portions of the story remains to be seen. Once Season 2’s structure is revealed, it will make it easier to estimate how much content is left to cover in the third and fourth seasons.

Another thing to note is that The Last of Us Season 2 will be shorter than Season 1, comprising only seven episodes. With a shorter episode count, that makes two more seasons of The Last of Us more viable. The showrunners also hinted they would include content that was cut from the game in the new seasons, which could help to pad out the plot of the series.

The Last of Us Season 2 will be released on HBO in April.