Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in The Last of Us Season 2MAX

A handful of The Last of Us fans have expressed outrage at showrunner Craig Mazin’s announcement confirming Season 2 won’t have a complete storyline.

The Last of Us Season 1 has become one of the most critically acclaimed video game adaptation thanks to the series’ commitment to sticking as close to the source material as possible.

However, that commitment could work to the show’s detriment. Mazin has revealed multiple seasons of the show, including Season 2, will be dedicated to the franchise’s polarizing sequel entry.

Mazin confirmed the events of The Last of Us Part 2 may go until Season 4, telling Deadline, “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 go down interesting pathways which we did a little bit in Season 1 too.”
Joel and Ellie in HBO's The Last of UsMAX

Mazin added, “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.”

While some fans were undoubtedly excited at the prospect of getting more time with Joel and Ellie, others were disappointed at the thought of Season 2 not having a complete story.

“You can just make a longer season. You can do that,” one fan wrote on X/Twitter with another adding, “Why did they rush through the 1st game only to slow waaaay down on the second?”

A third fan theorized the show may be waiting for Naughty Dog, the games’ developers, to release The Last of Us Part 3 so it can be quickly be put on TV, “They’re gonna drag it out so much so that when TLOU3 comes out they can adapt that soon after it releases.”

Much of the viewers’ frustrations seems to stem from the fact that The Last of Us Part 2 adds up to roughly 20 to 30 hours of gameplay, depending on how fast and often you play.

The dual storyline structure of The Last of Us Part II that puts the player in the shoes of multiple characters presents a big challenge to the showrunners.

Fans can find out if Mezin’s four season dream will become reality when The Last of Us Season 2 premieres in 2025.

For more, check out other new TV shows to stream this month and binge-worthy TV shows to add to your watch list.