When HBO’s The Last of Us premiered in 2023, it was hailed to critical acclaim. But after two seasons — and one major character death — the question is: What happens next?
Apparently, that decision may already be made, according to HBO Max boss Casey Bloys, who confirmed to Variety that while Season 3 is “definitely planned” to arrive in 2027, its status as the final season remains on the table.
“Craig [Mazin] is still working it out whether it will be two more seasons or one more long season,” he said of the show’s executive producer. “It hasn’t been decided yet, and I’m following Craig’s lead on that.”
The possibility that The Last of Us could conclude with its next installment has ignited a split reaction among fans and critics. While some argue it’s the smartest move the series could make, others believe it might end just as things are getting interesting.
The original The Last of Us video game told a tight story with a clear emotional arc, and Season 1 largely stuck to that blueprint. Its second season, based on The Last of Us Part II, killed off Pedro Pascal’s Joel early on and shifted toward an ensemble format led separately by Bella Ramsey’s Ellie and Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby.
Now, with the game’s third act still unadapted, critics say that showrunner Mazin must either choose the game’s pacing across multiple seasons, or compress it into one.
Over at GamesRadar+, one headline reads: “The Last of Us season 3 will definitely provide answers about a season 2 mystery,” suggesting that Mazin and team know they have work to do. And they might have the narrative firepower to pull it off.
Still, others worry that compressing the remaining arcs could do more harm than good.
“After The Last of Us season 2’s ending, I felt more disappointed than I hoped due to certain narrative choices regarding pacing and character perspective,” one Screen Rant reviewer wrote.
That perspective shift, specifically from Ellie to Abby, seems to be a polarizing one. On Reddit and in critic circles, there’s a clear unease about Season 2’s ending.
“Ellie sparing Abby in the way she did not only doesn’t make sense, but it’s practically disrespectful to what’s otherwise a very good game,” one thread read, later adding: “Ruining the ending of what was otherwise a great game by trying to capitalize on a future product is lazy and below Naughty Dog. But it feels like that’s what they did.”
One viewer at Decider pointed out the risk of stretching the story for too long.
“At this point, even the cast reportedly hasn’t been clued in on the scripts. So… what exactly is the plan?” they wrote. “If we do get two more seasons, here’s how the chaos breaks down: we’ll wait another 2.5 years to meet Abby (for real this time), and by then, most of the Season 2 cast will be long gone.”
He continued: “Then we’ll wait again to wrap up the story with Ellie. And sure, that structure mirrors the game — but in-game, the narrative shift was instantaneous. Here, it’s literally years between arcs. It’s not just risky — it’s creatively incoherent.”
Even Mazin himself hasn’t confirmed how (or when) it will all wrap. At a May press event attended by Collider, he dodged a direct answer about whether Season 3 would mirror the second half of the game, but hinted at what’s ahead.
“There’s no way to complete this narrative in a third season,” he said, suggesting the door remains open.
How open is yet to be determined.
