In case you’ve been living under a rock, The Last of Us has taken over. The latest hit to come from entertainment juggernaut HBO, this TV series is based on the widely popular and critically acclaimed video game of the same name. If you haven’t yet caught the bug, you can stream The Last of Us in Australia exclusively through BINGE and Foxtel. Here is everything you need to know about the hit HBO series.
‘The Last of Us’ Plot
The Last of Us follows Joel Miller (played expertly by Pedro Pascal), a damaged man trying to navigate his way through the zombie apocalypse while also holding on to some semblance of humanity. Joel meets Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a young girl who’s supposedly immune to the zombie virus. The two then find themselves on a journey across America, trying to avoid the danger that both humanity and the zombies present.
While the show does feature zombies – known as the infected in the series – they are a very unique and at times horrifying take on the undead. In particular, the added horror of the series comes from the fact that the origins of the zombies are grounded in some sort of potential reality and science. The infected are humans who have been infected by the Cordyceps brain infection and subsequently mutated into horrific new forms.
The Cordyceps fungus is a real life plant that can cause increased aggression and agitation in insects such as ants. While real-life Codyceps cannot trigger this kind of behaviour in humans, The Last of Us envisions what it would be like if this was made a reality.
Critical Response
The series premiere on HBO Max was a huge success, with record-breaking viewership and positive reviews. The 4.7 million viewers figure encompasses the on-air premiere on HBO and replays later in the night and streaming on HBO Max. This total is behind only the Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon, which premiered in 2022, and attracted a record-breaking 9.986 million viewers.
The show has received widespread acclaim from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the series currently boasts a glowing “fresh” score of 97 per cent positive reviews. This is the highest ever score for a live-action video game adaptation, and has even eclipsed the second-highest score of any live-action show, which is held by the second season of Netflix’s hit fantasy adaptation The Witcher and registered a score of 95 per cent.
‘The Last of Us’ Release Date
As confirmed by HBO back in November 2022, the long-awaited live-action adaptation of The Last of Us release date for HBO Max was January 15, 2023. The company announced the news via a Twitter post, sharing a poster for the series, however, it had already been accidentally shared by the HBO Max application a day ahead of the official communication.
How Many Episodes are in ‘The Last of Us’ Series?
The first season of The Last of Us will be nine episodes long. Each episode runs for at least 40 minutes but many cross over the hour mark. For example, episode three of the show is set to clock in at 1 hour and 20 minutes. Best of all, the series has already been greenlit for season two.
Will There Be a ‘Last of Us’ Season 2?
Actor Bella Ramsey previously hinted that a second season would be on the horizon if this debut season is successful. After smashing HBO records, confirmation came quickly. After the second episode of the series, HBO published a release containing information about the second season extension, naming The Last of Us as the cabler’s second-biggest launch of a series, coming in after House of the Dragon‘s release.
Neil Druckmann, the show’s executive producer and writer/creative director of the game said, “I’m humbled, honoured, and frankly overwhelmed that so many people have tuned in and connected with our retelling of Joel and Ellie’s journey. The collaboration with Craig Mazin, our incredible cast & crew, and HBO exceeded my already high expectations. Now we have the absolute pleasure of being able to do it again with season two! On behalf of everyone at Naughty Dog & PlayStation, thank you!”
Both Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann had previously expressed their desires to turn the game’s sequel into a full-fledged season if given a chance. Druckmann once shared his thoughts regarding the show’s future and what season two might shape up to be. He told The Hollywood Reporter, “We have no plans to tell any stories beyond adapting the games. We won’t run into the same issue as Game of Thrones since Part II doesn’t end on a cliffhanger.”
‘The Last of Us’ Podcast
With video game adaptations like The Last of Us already attracting major attention, developer HBO is making sure no one misses out. The company has just unveiled a new companion podcast aptly dubbed ‘The Last of Us Podcast’ which promises to take fans even further inside Joel and Ellie’s beleaguered universe. According to HBO, the podcast will air alongside each new episode of the series, with the first one dropping on Sunday. Best of all, the new podcast is hosted by actor Troy Baker, the original voice of Joel in Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us video game series.
Joining Troy Baker during a total of nine episodes will be The Last of Us TV series creator Craig Mazin and Naughty Dog’s chief Neil Druckmann. The Last of Us Podcast promises a “scene-by-scene deep dive of each episode” and will also see Baker, Druckmann, and Mazin spilling the beans surrounding their relationships to the game. Besides these three, it’s currently unclear whether the podcast will feature the show’s crew or other members.
As per the podcast’s official description, “Fans of the series and the game alike will have the opportunity to be flies on the wall as the trio discuss their personal relationships to the iconic game, their experience in adapting it for television, and behind-the-scenes stories.”
The first season of The Last of Us will include a total of nine episodes to be released weekly on HBO Max in the United States, while Aussie viewers will be able to catch all the action on BINGE/Foxtel. According to the creator, season one will recount the events of the first game, making sure to stay true to the source material for the most part. There is obviously some creative licence involved, however, Mazin confirmed all choices have been made under strict provisions to enrichen the story.
“Everything we did is clearly connected to the soul and spirit of the game,” says creator Craig Mazin. The series will apparently feature a lot less violence than its video game counterpart, “except for the very essential.”
As per Neil Druckmann, “One of the things that I loved hearing from Craig and HBO very early on was, ‘Let’s take out all the violence except for the very essential.’ That allowed the violence to have even more impact than in the game, because when you hold on showing the threat and you’re seeing people’s reaction to a threat, that makes it scarier.”
Where to Watch ‘The Last of Us’ in Australia
For those wanting to dive into the new zombie series in Australia, you’re in luck. There are a few ways that you’ll be able to view the show. For Foxtel users, the show will be available to watch through Foxtel Now and will air live on Monday nights. For those who don’t have access to Foxtel, the show is also available on BINGE and will also be available on Monday nights, same time as the US and international release.