How did Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann decide the episode count for The Last of Us Season 2? Here's what Craig revealed

The highly anticipated HBO series The Last Of Us is slated to return to the screen on April 13, 2025. The Last Of Us is based on a game with the same name. Showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann would be looking at multiple seasons to explore the second game, with the first storyline fitting into seven episodes of Season 2.

The Last of Us follows the story of Joel (played by Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey) as they navigate through the parasitic fungal-infested world, which is turning humans into violent, zombie-like creatures.

Season 2 of The Last of Us is based on the second game, which is much bigger than the Part I. While talking about the upcoming season to Variety, Craig shared,

“…you know one of the nice things about HBO is that they don’t really say, ‘Hey fit into this box, do it this way’ and so Neil and I looked at the story of the second game, which is bigger than any one season can contain, and we just sort of … how do we want to lay this out, going forward all the way to the end and then where is an interesting point to end a season. And that’s where it happened.”

He continued,

“...So it could have been nine episodes, it could have been six. It happened to be seven, cos that’s where the story went to for this season. Next season, we are not actually sure. Again, how many episode it might be because we have to kind of lay it out again. We probably will take more than one season to finish this story.”

The Last of Us premiered on HBO in January 2023 and was an instant global success. The show is written and executive produced by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann and has a star cast comprising Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Kaitlyn Denver, Catherine O’Hara, Nick Offerman, and Storm Reid, among others. The show is based on the video game series developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment.

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What to expect from The Last Of Us Season 2?

In Season 1 of The Last of Us, the world has been crippled by a dangerous parasitic fungal infection, which has turned human beings into violent creatures. Decades later, Joel, who survived several personal hardships post the outbreak, is hired to transport a young girl called Ellie to the group called Fireflies. They meet several other survivors along the way and face hurdles as they find ways to survive the menacing world. The two form a deep connection, like a father and daughter.

According to HBO, Season 2 will find Joel and Ellie five years later, when their past incidents and decisions create conflict between them. The world has gotten even more bleak, and they must learn to steer through new challenges.

As per Variety, Craig shared,

“…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.”

The Last Of Us Season 2 premieres on April 13, 2025, at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.

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