Key Takeaways

• The Last of Us season one was a hit, with a growing viewership and rave reviews, even appealing to non-gamers.
• The show has been renewed for a second season and production will begin Feb. 12, but don't expect it to be released anytime soon.
• The cast for season two will feature returning actors Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal, as well as new cast members Carherine O'Hara, Kaitlyn Dever, Young Mazino, and Isabela Merced. Expect the show to follow the storyline of The Last of Us Part 2 game.

The Last of Us was a smash hit for HBO as soon as it started airing in early January 2023 -- the first season wrapped, premiered, and streamed in full to a rapt audience and rave reviews.

From the moment the trailers dropped through its season one finale, its viewership grew and grew into must-watch TV status. It wasn't just the fans of the video game who tuned in, viewership grew to 8.2 million by the finale, and personally, if they can get my 59-year-old horror averse mother to watch each week what she initially thought was simply "a zombie show," the showrunners did something right.

The critical and commercial success saw the show's renewal for a second season before its third episode even aired, meaning there will be more of its impressive post-apocalyptic story to enjoy and suffer through. The Last of Us went on to win eight creative Emmy Awards in January, including one for fan favorite guest actor Nick Offerman in his role as Bill.

The series is known for strong guest performances from the likes of Melanie Lynskey, Anna Torv, Lamar Johnson, and Murray Bartlett.

Here are all the key details to look forward to for season two, including that production dates have finally been shared.

The Last of Us season 2 renewal and filming schedule

It was announced that we'd get more of The Last of Us on Jan. 27, 2023.

It had already been hinted at by creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann that they'd love to continue the story on TV (since there is a major sequel in the gaming world to call on), so this is great news for fans new and old.

Production is set to begin on Feb. 12, as reported by Variety and confirmed by Mazin, even with Pedro Pascal's visible arm sling and injury as noted by viewers of the Golden Globes in January.

The Last of Us season 2 release date

This is a seriously big-budget show that will take a long while to film and post-produce. We'd imagine that a likely window for the show will be sometime in either late 2024 or early 2025, given the updated shooting schedule. That's a window that was backed up by star Bella Ramsey last year, while on the Jonathan Ross Show in March 2023:

So, don't hold your breath about an imminent return to the silver screen for Joel and Ellie. It's coming -- but not for a while.

The Last of Us season 2 trailers

There are no teasers or trailers yet for the second season of The Last of Us.

How to watch The Last of Us season 2

The good news when looking forward to another season of The Last of Us is that we can be confident about where you'll be able to watch it. In the US, as an HBO exclusive, it'll air on HBO and through the Max streaming platform for subscribers, with no other ways to watch it for the US audience.

Potential spoilers below if you don't know the broad story of The Last of Us from the game or haven't finished season one yet.

The Last of Us season 2 cast

If you've played the game The Last of Us is based on, even casting details can give hints about who survives. If you are new to this universe, we're going to spoil it with the next sentence, so look away. There are two big cast members that will return for another season of the show -- Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal as Ellie and Joel.

According to HBO executive Casey Bloy, as reported by our friends at ScreenRant, the show will follow the story of The Last of Us Part 2 game, which should show a time skip from the first series in which Ramsey's character was 14 years old. Ramsey is now 20 years old, so then retaining the role makes sense, even with the time jump. And there would likely be audience uproar to recast the beloved actor.

The newest casting addition turned heads on Feb. 2, revealing that Canadian and American actress Catherine O'Hara will be joining The Last of Us season two. There is no information on which existing character O'Hara might play, or if we should expect a fresh character created for season two. It has many following the production scratching their heads, but with excitement. O'Hara's a comedy legend most will know from her recent turn in Schitt's Creek as Moira Rose.

You may also know her from iconic roles like Beetlejuice, Home Alone, and Best in Show. We've seen some incredible dramatic performances from comedy actors in The Last of Us season one, and this casting seems to tip the hand that we can expect more of that in the upcoming run. O'Hara's got the chops to pull off a complex role with gravitas. Personally, I'm hoping O'Hara is given some villainous material to work with, but in any case, this casting department just can't miss. I'll happily let this news eat away at my brain like a parasitic fungus until trailers or leaks disclose further information.

Casting details released Jan. 9 by HBO on X revealed Kaitlyn Dever will be joining the story for season two as Abby Anderson. In the game, Abby is introduced as a villain first and then as a character who mirrors Ellie as the story continues. She's out for revenge after experiencing huge losses -- like many other characters in the show and game. What will be interesting and is still unknown, is the POV of the show. Will they show Abby, Joel, or Ellie's perspective, or a mix?

If you're unfamiliar with her, Dever's star seems to brighten every year, even though she's been a working actor for over ten years. One of her earlier breakout roles, Short Term 12, alongside Brie Larson, displayed depth and emotional range, which she has since shown audiences time and time again with her Golden Globe nominated work in Unbelievable and Dopesick. But she's exercised her comedic chops in films like Booksmarts, Ticket to Paradise, and Rosaline.

January also saw casting for more The Last of Us Part 2 game characters, like Young Mazino as Jesse and Isabela Merced as Dina -- a love interest and ally to Ellie. You'll know Mazino from the Golden Globe winning show Beef from Netflix and Merced from Transformers: The Last Knight and Dora and the Lost City of Gold.

We'd also expect to see Joel's brother Tommy return, played again by Gabriel Luna. Beyond that, not much can be gambled where the cast is concerned yet, especially as the TV show's plotline diverges from the games in some small but key ways at various turns, keeping us all on our toes.

The Last of Us season 2 story

We can't be certain about what the next season will do story-wise, but casting confirmations and recent showrunner interviews give us lots to compare to the game. With Dever's casting as Abby, we could get some of the alternating perspectives between Ellie and Abby, and we know that the show will follow some of the second installment's plot lines. Casting confirmation for Jesse and Dina also clues us in that we'll get some of their stories too and, potentially, another romantic relationship for Ellie. O'Hara's casting brings more questions than answers, but all the more fun to speculate.

Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin have both said they're keen to do additional seasons of the show, but have implied that the story told by The Last of Us Part 2 game could be split into more than one season. That implication turned into confirmation when an interview with GQ saw the showrunners break the news that they view the game's storyline (Last of Us Part 2) as more than one season's worth of story.

This makes sense -- it's a surprisingly huge game that takes around 30 hours to play, and hops through locations and characters pretty quickly.

So, we'd expect that season two might tell part of that story, leading up to a major twist that occurs about halfway through the game, at an aquarium (for those who know what we're talking about). This could end the season on a huge cliffhanger and lead into a third season that would really play with people's expectations and emotions.

Will The Last of Us get a season 3?

As that interview with GQ confirmed, it looks like we're really likely to get a third season of The Last of Us, even if it hasn't officially been commissioned. HBO has confirmed only that a second series is going to be filmed right now, but given the showrunners and creators are planning around more than two, and the first season's success, you can probably bank on a third run appearing.

With heavy rumors out there that the game series will also be getting a third outing at some point, there seems to be a scope for more seasons down the line for the TV show.