The Last of Us (TV series)

The Last of Us
Genre	Post-apocalyptic Drama Thriller
Created by	Craig Mazin Neil Druckmann
Based on	The Last of Us by Naughty Dog[a]
Showrunners	Craig Mazin Neil Druckmann
Written by	Craig Mazin Neil Druckmann
Starring	Pedro Pascal Bella Ramsey
Theme music composer	Gustavo Santaolalla
Composers	Gustavo Santaolalla David Fleming
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	9
Production
Executive producers	Craig Mazin Neil Druckmann Carolyn Strauss Rose Lam Evan Wells Carter Swan Asad Qizilbash Jacqueline Lesko Cecil O'Connor
Producers	Greg Spence Cecil O'Connor
Production location	Canada
Cinematography	Ksenia Sereda Eben Bolter Christine A. Maier Nadim Carlsen Catherine Goldschmidt
Editors	Timothy A. Good Mark Hartzell Emily Mendez Cindy Mollo
Running time	43–81 minutes
Production companies	The Mighty Mint Word Games PlayStation Productions Naughty Dog Sony Pictures Television Studios
Original release
Network	HBO
Release	January 15, 2023 (2023-01-15) – present (present)
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

The Last of Us is an American post-apocalyptic drama television series created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann for HBO. Based on the video game franchise developed by Naughty Dog, the series is set twenty years into a pandemic caused by a mass fungal infection, which causes its hosts to transform into zombie-like creatures and causes the collapse of society. The first season, based on 2013's The Last of Us, follows Joel (Pedro Pascal), a smuggler tasked with escorting immune teenager Ellie (Bella Ramsey) across a post-apocalyptic United States. The second season, expected to partly adapt 2020's The Last of Us Part II, is set five years later and introduces Abby (Kaitlyn Dever).

Guest stars include Nico Parker as Joel's daughter Sarah, Merle Dandridge as resistance leader Marlene, Anna Torv as Joel's partner Tess, Gabriel Luna as Joel's brother Tommy, Lamar Johnson and Keivonn Montreal Woodard as brothers Henry and Sam, and Melanie Lynskey and Jeffrey Pierce as resistance leader Kathleen and her second-in-command Perry. The second season is set to introduce Isabela Merced as Ellie's romantic interest Dina and Young Mazino as Dina's ex Jesse.

The first season was filmed in Alberta from July 2021 to June 2022, while the second season was filmed in British Columbia from February to August 2024. It is the first HBO series based on a video game, and is a joint production by Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions, Naughty Dog, the Mighty Mint, and Word Games. Druckmann, who wrote and co-directed the games, assisted Mazin with scriptwriting for the first season's nine episodes, joined by Halley Gross, who co-wrote the second game, and Bo Shim for the second season's seven episodes. The score was composed by Gustavo Santaolalla, who composed for the games, and David Fleming.

The Last of Us premiered on January 15, 2023. It received acclaim from critics, who praised the performances, writing, production design, and score; several called it the best adaptation of a video game. It won several awards, including eight Primetime Emmy Awards out of 24 nominations. Across linear channels and HBO Max, the series premiere was watched by almost 40 million viewers within two months; the series averaged almost 32 million viewers per episode by May, and it became HBO's most watched debut season. The second season is set to premiere in early 2025.

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