HBO Renews 'The Last of Us' for Second Season

Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann's The Last of Us series adaptation has officially received a second season renewal order from HBO.

A press release confirmed that the show was HBO's second-largest debut behind House of the Dragon, with the first episode surpassing 22 million views domestically and its second episode earning 5.7 million viewers across HBO Max and linear telecasts in the United States; episode two garnered 1 million more new viewers in comparison to the pilot, marking the largest week two audience growth for any HBO Original Drama Series in 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.”

“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,” added 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!”

“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,” shared 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."

Season one sees Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel and Ellie, alongside Gabriel Luna as Tommy, Anna Torv as Tess, Nico Parker as Sarah, Murray Bartlett as Frank, Nick Offerman as Bill, Melanie Lynskey as Kathleen, Storm Reid as Riley, Merle Dandridge as Marlene, Jeffrey Pierce as Perry, Lamar Johnson as Henry, Keivonn Woodard as Sam, Graham Greene as Marlon, Elaine Miles as Florence and game actors Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker.

Elsewhere in entertainment, check out the first teaser for season four of HBO's Succession.