HBO is in it for the long haul with its adaptation of The Last of Us.
The premium cabler confirmed a renewal for The Last of Us Season 2 on Friday morning.
The series from co-creators Craig Mazin (Emmy® Award-winning creator of HBO’s Chernobyl) and Neil Druckmann (creator and writer of the award-winning “The Last of Us” franchise and Naughty Dog Co-President) marks HBO’s second-largest debut, behind only House of the Dragon.
The Last of Us Season 1 Episode 1 has now surpassed 22 million viewers domestically, up nearly 5x from its premiere night audience.
The Last of Us Season 1 Episode 2 tallied 5.7 million viewers across HBO Max and linear telecasts in the U.S. Sunday night, based on Nielsen and first-party data, adding more than 1 million new viewers vs. the series premiere.
This 22% jump marks the largest week two audience growth for any HBO Original Drama Series in the network’s history.
“Craig and Neil, alongside EP Carolyn Strauss, and the rest of our phenomenal cast and crew, have defined a genre with their masterful debut season of ‘The Last of Us,'” said Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming, Head of HBO Drama Series and Films.
“After pulling off this unforgettable first season, I can’t wait to watch this team outshine themselves again with season two.”
“I’m humbled, honored, and frankly overwhelmed that so many people have tuned in and connected with our retelling of Joel and Ellie’s journey,” said executive producer Neil Druckmann.
“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!”
“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,” said executive producer Craig Mazin.
“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 Last of Us takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone.
What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal and heartbreaking journey as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.
The series stars Pedro Pascal as Joel, Bella Ramsey as Ellie, Gabriel Luna as Tommy, Anna Torv as Tess, Nico Parker as Sarah, and Murray Bartlett as Frank.
The cast also includes Nick Offerman as Bill, Melanie Lynskey as Kathleen, Storm Reid as Riley, Merle Dandridge as Marlene, Jeffrey Pierce as Perry, Lamar Johnson as Henry, Keivonn Woodard as Sam, Graham Greene as Marlon, and Elaine Miles as Florence.
Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker also star.
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Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.