HBO has given a second season renewal to its post-apocalyptic series The Last of Us as expected. That show opened with one of the best premieres for HBO in over ten years based on numbers that included digital viewing on HBO Max as well as encore runs. The only series with a higher premiere was the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon which bowed in Summer 2022. The Last of Us then managed to grow its audience by 22% for its second episode according to numbers from HBO, and I commented in the most recent Cancellation Watch post that a renewal announcement should be coming at any time. The show has also scored well with critics and viewers, currently holding a 97% Fresh Rating and 96% Audience Score on Rotten Tomatoes. Showrunner Craig Maizin had the following comments about the renewal:
I’m so grateful to Neil Druckmann and HBO for our partnership, and I’m even more grateful to the millions of people who have joined us on this journey. The audience has given us the chance to continue, and as a fan of the characters and world Neil and Naughty Dog created, I couldn’t be more ready to dive back in.
The show has aired two episodes so far out of nine and the second season will likely have a similar episode count. Because of the high production values of the show, it may take well over a year for the second season to make it to the small screen, and that may have helped to prompt the earlier renewal announcement.
The Last of Us follows a man and a teenage girl making their way across a post-apocalyptic U.S. after the country has been ravaged by a deadly fungus. It stars Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Merle Dandridge, Anna Torv, and it is based on the video game of the same name.
The new year has just begun with more renewals and cancellations on the way, so be sure to stay tuned to this site for news and updates. You can see the status of all the currently airing and returning sci fi and fantasy shows on our Cancellation Watch Page. And be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for breaking news.
CancelledSciFi.com: Keep up with the status updates of all the airing, returning, and upcoming sci fi and fantasy shows for the current season with our Cancellation Watch posts. And be sure to follow the Cancelled Sci Fi Twitter Site for breaking news and updates.
SciFiTVSite.com: Follow our Sci Fi TV Schedule for all the currently airing and upcoming sci fi and fantasy television shows, and you can see the premieres for all the upcoming genre entries at this link.
