In many ways, The Last of Us Season 1 was bigger than the video game it adapted. It expanded on storylines that felt like minor Easter eggs in the game, bringing in additional villains and stewing on larger thematic conflicts. Its scope will only get more ambitious as the HBO series moves on to The Last of Us Part II, a sprawling game with thornier existential issues on its mind.
Showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have been open about the challenges they face this time around, telling Entertainment Weekly that Season 2 will be much more “dense” than its predecessor. It will also include “lost levels” cut from the game that add context about characters new and old. There’s so much to explore, in fact, that one additional season won’t be enough to cover it all. Another season is on the way after Season 2 airs this spring, turning this two-part tale into more of a triptych.
