The Last of Us’ success on HBO wasn’t a huge shock. The series was a live-action adaptation of one of the most acclaimed — and most cinematic — video games ever made, and Neil Druckmann, the game’s original writer and creative director, served as co-showrunner alongside Chernobyl’s Craig Mazin. With an all-star cast including Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, and Melanie Lynskey, it seemed like a slam dunk.
But even though most of the series felt like a 1:1 adaptation of the original game, the new medium allowed space to veer from the path and explore elements that gameplay wouldn’t allow, like the flashback episode focusing on the love story between Bill and Frank. These variances were big hits with audiences, but not all fans of the game were thrilled to see something different.
