Entertainment
The Last of Us season 2 release date and how to watch – everything we know-Sabrina Barr-Entertainment – Metro
It’s been a long two years to wait for the new season.
The dark secret that Joel (Pedro Pascal) tortures him in season two (Picture: HBO)
The Last of Us is finally back for season 2, and fans can wait to get stuck back into the horrifying, dystopian TV show.
The series originally premiered two years ago, introducing the lead characters Joel (Pedro Pascal), a smuggler, and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a teenage girl who’s immune to the cordyceps infection that’s ravaged the world.
The infection has caused millions of people to turn into monstrous, zombie-like creatures, and so Joel is tasked with transporting Ellie across the country in the hope that she might be the key to creating a cure.
The second season is set five years after the events of the first – and we have everything you need to know about its release date, how to watch and who’s in the cast – plus an exclusive chat between showrunner Craig Mazin and Metro about changes from the video game on which its based.
As Joel and Ellie pick up the pieces of their life-threatening, terrifying journey in the first season of The Last of Us, here’s what you need to know as their adventure continues.
When is The Last of Us season 2 release date?
The Last of Us season two premieres on Sunday April 13 in the US on HBO and Max, and on Monday April 14 in the UK on Sky Atlantic and NOW.
The show is releasing its episodes weekly, rather than all in one go.
One of the best duos on TV – Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal – are back (Picture: Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images)
Bella returns as Ellie, the teenager who’s immune to the infection that’s ravaged the world (Picture: HBO)
So following the launch of episode one on Monday April 14, the following instalments will continue to be released until the season finale on Monday May 26.
It’s been over two years since the first season of the show came out, which aired from January until March in 2023.
What time is The Last of Us on in the UK?
Each episode of The Last of Us is set to be available to watch in the US on HBO and streaming service Max from 9pm Eastern Time on Sunday night.
At the same time, the episodes will be available to watch on Sky and NOW in the UK at 2am on Monday morning.
So if you’re in the UK and plan on waiting until the end of the day to watch the latest instalments of The Last of Us, be wary of spoilers on social media!
What changes are being made from the video game for The Last of Us season 2?
At the premiere for The Last of Us season two in London, Metro spoke to the show’s co-creator Craig, who serves as an executive producer, showrunner and director on the drama.
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While the series is an extremely faithful adaptation of the globally-popular video games on which they’re based, certain changes do inevitably have to be made when adapting it to the medium of TV.
Fans have already spotted some changes already. For example, the first season of the show omitted the risk of ‘spores’ – particles in the air that can pass on the cordyceps infection. However, in the trailer for season two, it appears that spores have now been added to the story.
When asked about changes from the video game to the TV series for the second season, Craig told us: ‘Well I can’t walk you through the changes we made, because that would give a lot of things away.
‘But what I can say is that we followed the same process that we did in season one, which is to think about what the game does beautifully that we know, as a fan, I need it to be the same, and then there are things that the game does that are so connected to the gameplay that we don’t really have the ability to do in television, so we’ve made changes.’
By the end of the first season of The Last of Us, Ellie and Joel had formed a father-daughter relationship (Picture: HBO)
Craig added that when making the TV show, they had space to ‘play around’, such as in season one when they expanded the story of Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett) into a beautiful episode telling their whole love story.
‘So we move things around, we play around, but we do it from the perspective of Neil Druckmann who created the source material and from me as a fan. Hopefully that works for people,’ he said.
The writer teased that there are some new moments in the second season that he believes are ‘really going to rock people’, as well as ‘slight changes’ from the game that ‘enrich them further’.
‘It’ll put you back on your heels,’ he promised.
Metro’s review of The Last of Us season 2
If you thought the first season of The Last of Us was traumatising, just wait for season 2 to rip your heart out and shatter it into a million pieces yet again.
Metro‘s Deputy TV Editor Sabrina Barr reviewed the new season, giving it four out of five stars after watching all seven episodes.
‘Whether or not you’re aware of spoilers for the story, it should come as no surprise that there’s going to be heartbreak and devastation aplenty. So strap yourselves in,’ the review read.
‘Just like in the first season, Joel and Ellie’s relationship forms the backbone of season two. Following Joel’s demolition of the Fireflies, many viewers suspected that Ellie guessed that her father figure might have lied to her about her rescue and how the rebel group were killed.
‘Even though five years have passed, his lies have not disappeared into the ether. They torment his mind, adding to the friction that’s inevitably built between him and Ellie as she yearns for more independence as a young adult.
‘Yet again, The Last Of Us makes its viewers take a good hard look at themselves to ask some of the hardest questions imaginable – if someone you loved was going to be killed to save millions of others, would you let them die or save them?
‘Could you accept their death knowing that other people’s lives were saved as a result, or could you not bear to let them perish, regardless of the consequences?
‘That question brings a level of humanity to The Last Of Us that’s extraordinarily difficult to achieve on TV, especially in a story that’s set in a post-apocalyptic landscape, with zombie-like creatures whose sole purpose is to spread their infection as far as possible.’
The review concludes: ‘The Last Of Us had a mighty task on its hands to live up to its first season. Fans of the drama will not be disappointed, although they might be picking up the pieces of their hearts afterwards.’
To read more, click here.
Watch The Last of Us season 2 trailer
You can watch the trailer for The Last of Us season two here:
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Who is in the cast of The Last of Us?
Having become one of TV’s most treasured father-daughter duos, Pedro is set to return as Joel, with Bella reprising the role of Ellie.
Other returning cast members include Gabriel Luna as Tommy, Joel’s brother, and Rutina Wesley as Maria, Tommy’s wife.
There are also several newcomers who are going to be introduced, one of the most notable of which is Booksmart’s Kaitlyn Dever as Abby.
As fans of the video game will know, Abby will play a key part in the second season, as she embarks on a revenge mission – but we won’t say any more at this point to avoid mentioning spoilers.
Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) is a pivotal character on a revenge mission in season two (Picture: HBO)
Schitt’s Creek star Catherine O’Hara is another new addition to the cast (Picture: HBO)
Dora and the Lost City of Gold star Isabel Merced will be making her debut as Dina, Ellie’s best friend and love interest, while Beef actor Young Mazino will be introduced as Jesse, Dina’s ex.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Top Gun: Maverick star Danny Ramirez is also joining the series as a soldier named Manny.
Further exciting additions to the cast include Catherine O’Hara, Tati Gabrielle and Jeffrey Wright, with the latter reprising his role as Isaac from the video game.
How many episodes are there in The Last of Us season 2?
There are going to be seven episodes in total in the second season of The Last of Us.
This marks two episode fewer than before, as the first season consisted of nine episodes.
Isabela Merced makes her debut in The Last of Us as Dina, Ellie’s best friend and love interest (Picture: HBO)
Is The Last of Us returning for season 3?
Shortly before the release date of The Last of Us season two, it was confirmed that the show will definitely be returning for a third outing.
While this marked the official renewal of the drama for a third season, it was already strongly suspected that it would be returning for more episodes.
Speaking to Metro about the third season, showrunner Craig said: ‘I think it’s important for fans to know that everything that’s happening now in season two is almost like… it’s like a little seed that’s going to blossom into this very scary fungal nightmare in season three.
‘But all questions will be answered, all mysteries will be solved. Everyone is going to have to face their fate.’
Would you want The Last of Us TV show to continue past the video game?
The writer previously told Variety in an interview in March: ‘It feels like we’ve got one or two more seasons.
‘It’s getting harder to make, because every episode gets big. You don’t want to wait four years for a 17-episode finish, or whatever it is.’
He also added to The Hollywood Reporter that he had no intention of continuing the series for the sake of making money, and will ensure that the story doesn’t go past the events of the video game
‘I am not going to go past the game. I’ll just say that flat out. So if people are thinking, “Oh, these guys are planning the old cash grab thing”…’ he said.
He continued: ‘The show is so hard to make. It has to have an end. So I’m not going to go past.’
An earlier version of this article was originally published on January 8.
The Last of Us will return on Sky and NOW.
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