The Last of Us season 2

The second season of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us was originally broadcast on HBO between April and May 2025. Based on the video game franchise developed by Naughty Dog, the season is set twenty-five years into a pandemic caused by a mass fungal infection, which causes its hosts to transform into zombie-like creatures and collapses society. The second season, based on the first half of the 2020 game The Last of Us Part II, follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) five years after the events of the first season, after they have settled into Jackson, Wyoming, with Joel's brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna) and Ellie's friends Dina (Isabela Merced) and Jesse (Young Mazino).

HBO renewed The Last of Us for a second season less than two weeks after the series premiered in January 2023. Co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann were joined in the writers' room by Halley Gross and Bo Shim; Druckmann wrote and co-directed the games, and Gross co-wrote Part II. Principal photography took place in British Columbia from February to August 2024. Druckmann, Mazin, and Peter Hoar returned to direct the seven episodes alongside newcomers Kate Herron, Nina Lopez-Corrado, Mark Mylod, and Stephen Williams. Gustavo Santaolalla and David Fleming returned to compose the score.

Critics felt the season reinforced The Last of Us as the best video game adaptation, praising the action sequences, direction, performances, production design, and writing, though some criticized the pacing and considered the story to be incomplete. It was nominated for several awards, including 17 Primetime Emmy Awards. Across linear channels and Max, the season premiere was watched by 5.3 million viewers on the first day, a 13% increase from the first-season premiere; by May, the series averaged almost 37 million global viewers per episode.

Cast and characters

Main

• Pedro Pascal as Joel Miller, a hardened middle-aged survivor. Joel is portrayed as more physically vulnerable in the series compared to the games. His relationship with Ellie has become strained since he lied to her at the end of the first season.
• Bella Ramsey as Ellie, a 19-year-old who is immune to the Cordyceps infection. In the second season, Ellie has become tougher, like Joel, but maintains her humor. Now growing up in Jackson, she gets a tattoo, learns to play guitar, and develops a relationship with Dina.
• Gabriel Luna as Tommy, Joel's younger brother who maintains idealism in hoping for a better world. A former Firefly, Tommy gave up on their cause and runs a commune with his wife Maria, with whom he has a son named Benjamin.
• Isabela Merced as Dina, Ellie's romantic interest and Jesse's ex. She is a freewheeling spirit with a loyalty towards Ellie, which is challenged by the world's brutality.
• Young Mazino as Jesse, Dina's ex and an important member of Jackson whose selflessness sometimes comes at a cost. Having lost everything prior to joining Jackson, he values its sense of community and works hard to ensure it is not lost.

Recurring

• Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, a Washington Liberation Front (WLF) soldier and former Firefly who seeks revenge against Joel for the death of her father and subsequently has her worldview challenged
• Rutina Wesley as Maria, a co-leader of the survivors in Jackson. She is Tommy's wife and Benjamin's mother. Formerly an assistant district attorney, Maria is calm and merciful.
• Robert John Burke as Seth, a former police officer who runs a bar in Jackson. He is homophobic, leading to conflict with Joel, Ellie, and Dina.
• Spencer Lord as Owen, a WLF member and former Firefly. He is a gentle person whose physical strength forces him to fight enemies he does not hate.
• Tati Gabrielle as Nora, a WLF military medic and former Firefly who has difficulty accepting her past behavior
• Ariela Barer as Mel, a former Firefly and Owen's girlfriend. She is a doctor in the WLF committed to her role while struggling with the realities of war, reluctant to hurt others.
• Danny Ramirez as Manny, a WLF member and former Firefly. A loyal soldier who fears failing his friends, he maintains a jovial attitude despite the pain of his past.
• Catherine O'Hara as Gail, Joel's therapist and Eugene's wife. She is cynical, not deceived by Joel's posturing.

Guest

• Noah Lamanna as Kat, Ellie's ex and the only other openly queer member of Jackson. She is only mentioned in the video game.
• Jeffrey Wright as Isaac Dixon, the ruthless leader of the WLF and a former high-ranking sergeant for the Federal Disaster Response Agency (FEDRA). The WLF face a war in their pursuit for liberty. Wright reprises his role from the video game.
• Alanna Ubach as Hanrahan, a high-ranking WLF member
• Josh Peck as Janowicz, a FEDRA soldier in Seattle under Isaac's command. He jokes with other soldiers about the harassment and abuse of civilians.
• Ben Ahlers as Burton, a loyal and hardened WLF soldier. He was recruited by Isaac as a new FEDRA recruit.
• Hettienne Park as Elise Park, a WLF sergeant whose soldier son was infected through spores. The character is original to the series.
• Tony Dalton as Javier Miller, Joel and Tommy's father. An original character to the series, he is a police officer with a history of using violence to discipline his sons, having been abused even more violently by his own father as a child.
• Joe Pantoliano as Eugene Lynden, Gail's husband. The character is only seen in a photograph in the game.

Episodes

Production

Development

HBO renewed The Last of Us for a second season on January 27, 2023, less than two weeks after the premiere of the first season. While the first season covers the events of Naughty Dog's video game The Last of Us (2013) and its downloadable expansion The Last of Us: Left Behind (2014), the second season covers part of the sequel, The Last of Us Part II (2020). Co-showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann wanted to avoid filler between the games. Part II is expected to span multiple seasons, and Mazin does not want the series to overtake the games. While writing the first season, Mazin and Druckmann ensured characters remained true to their developments in Part II in case the show received more seasons.

The series is a production of Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions, Naughty Dog, the Mighty Mint, and Word Games, with Mazin, Druckmann, Carolyn Strauss, Evan Wells, Asad Qizilbash, and Carter Swan serving as returning executive producers. Jacqueline Lesko—who co-executive produced the first season and had worked with Mazin for over a decade, including as his assistant—was named an executive producer in March 2023, followed by Cecil O'Connor, a line producer on the first season, in February 2024. The season was produced by Allen Marshall Palmer and Julie Herrin. In January 2024, Druckmann, Mazin, and Peter Hoar were announced as returning directors alongside newcomers Kate Herron, Nina Lopez-Corrado, Mark Mylod, and Stephen Williams. Inspired by Noah Hawley's work on Fargo, Mazin felt directing the premiere allowed him to prepare the season, and he worked closely with each director on set. In June, Mazin and Druckmann revealed the season would consist of seven episodes. The series was renewed for a third season on April 9, 2025, before the second premiered.

Casting

Druckmann felt Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey's comfort and familiarity with their characters—Joel and Ellie, respectively—allowed them to "dive deeper" into their performances. Pascal and Ramsey, who grew close during production of the first season, considered their separation "painful" and "lonelier" during filming for the second. HBO denied rumors that Pascal had finished filming in March 2024; he returned for later scenes. Ramsey added a "green rider" into their second-season contract, requiring all departments to adopt sustainable practices during production. The season introduces several new characters and spends more time with them. Mazin felt the new actors "fit right in" due to the series's established reputation. Casting was put on hold in May 2023 due to the Writers Guild of America strike; actors had been auditioning with scenes from The Last of Us Part II due to an absence of scripts.

The production team wanted to start the season's casting with Abby, beginning before the strike; Dever became the frontrunner after the strike ended in November, following the response to her performance in No One Will Save You (2023). She previously appeared in Naughty Dog's Uncharted 4: A Thief's End (2016), and was considered to play Ellie in the abandoned film adaptation of The Last of Us around the time. Her casting was announced on January 9, 2024, followed by Mazino's as Jesse on January 10, and Merced's as Dina on January 11. O'Hara's casting was announced on February 2, followed by Ramirez, Barer, Gabrielle, and Lord's on March 1, Wright's on May 24, and Ahlers, Burke, Lamanna, Pantoliano, Park, and Ubach's on March 5, 2025.