The Last of Us season 2 is finally upon us – and there's more good news. The iconic video game turned TV series has now also already been renewed for a third season.
And there's every chance there also could be a season 4. “We don’t think that we’re going to be able to tell the story even within two seasons [2 and 3] because we’re taking our time and going down interesting pathways which we did a little bit in season 1 too,” the show's co-creator and showrunner Craig Mazin told Deadline last year.
“We feel like it’s almost assuredly going to be the case that — as long as people keep watching and we can keep making more television — season 3 will be significantly larger. And indeed, the story may require season 4”.
So we can expect much more of The Last of Us story to make it to the screen, with season 2 set to be based on the second instalment of the game.
We love the fact that the actor was keen to not contribute to the pitting of women against other women.
“We approached season 2 with the goal of creating something we could be proud of,” Craig said in an announcement of season 3. "The end results have exceeded even our most ambitious goals, thanks to our continued collaboration with HBO and the impeccable work of our unparalleled cast and crew. “We look forward to continuing the story of The Last of Us with season 3.”
The series centres around Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Joel (Pedro Pascal) as they navigate a post-apocalyptic world. Some seriously exciting new cast members are joining for season 2, including Apple Cider Vinegar's Kaitlyn Dever, Tati Gabrielle and Young Mazino. Schitt's Creek's Catherine O'Hara will also star.
So exactly when are new episodes of The Last of Us season 2 released? Here's what we know about the show's return to our screens.
The Last of Us season 2 plot
The plot synopsis for season 2 reads as follows: “After five years of peace following the events of the first season, Joel and Ellie’s collective past catches up to them, drawing them into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind”.
The Last of Us season 2 release date
The Last of Us season 2 premiered on Sunday 13 April in the US on HBO and Max, and on Sky Atlantic and NOW at 2am on Monday 14 April in the UK.
A new episode is set to drop weekly in the UK at the same time each Monday morning (or Sunday night, seeing as it's at 2am). Similarly, the episode will air each Sunday night in the US.
The Last of Us season 2 release schedule
See below for the date and times of each The Last of Us season 2 episodes' drop, which will occur every week until the finale on Monday 26 May.
- Episode 1 - Future Days - Monday 14 April at 2am BST (so it's available to watch now!)
- Episode 2 - Monday 21 April at 2am BST
- Episode 3 - Monday 28 April at 2am BST
- Episode 4 - Monday 5 May at 2am BST
- Episode 5 - Monday 12 May at 2am BST
- Episode 6 - Monday 19 May at 2am BST
- Episode 7 - Monday 26 May at 2am BST
Each episode is then expected to be repeated at 9pm each Monday on Sky Atlantic. There will sadly be seven episodes this season, instead of the nine we had for the first season.
On this decision, Craig Mazin said “The story material that we got from Part II of the game is way more than the story material that was in the first game, so part of what we had to do from the start was figure out how to tell that story across seasons,"
He explained, "When you do that, you look for natural breakpoints, and as we laid it out, this season, the national breakpoint felt like it came after seven episodes."
The Last of Us season 2 trailer
Watch the trailer for the new season below.
