The Last of Us TV show

Based on the PlayStation game, about a man and a teenage girl travelling through the US during a zombie apocalypse, this HBO show is a remarkable ...

There are certain scenes early on that feel too gamey for television (such as those where Joel and Ellie are sneaking around a museum), while the latter half of the series feels like it needs one more episode to even out the pace (scenes involving the infected are strangely scarce beyond episode five). It is a sentiment that is turned inside-out in episodes four and five, which follow Joel and Ellie as they make their way through the aftermath of a bloody uprising against an especially fascistic branch of FEDRA in Kansas City. These episodes also feature some of the show's best action sequences, including a huge set-piece involving the infected that is as grisly and gripping as any in the game. The show essentially lives or dies on the casting of Ellie, who is as playful and profane as she is endearingly obnoxious. Set across two decades, it follows paranoid prepper Bill (Nick Offerman) as he strikes up a relationship with Frank (The White Lotus' Murray Bartlett), a man who stumbles into one of his many traps. But Pascal is also a sensitive, soulful actor, and seeing Joel soften and thaw throughout the series is one of its great pleasures. The humour is much needed in the bleak, violent world that they traverse, where people are just as dangerous as the infected. It is a faithful adaptation in everything from look to score to feel, with the early episodes in particular following the game almost beat-for-beat. It is around this time that we're reintroduced to an older, more grizzled Joel, changed by the things he has had to do to survive. It follows a hardened smuggler named Joel, played in the show by Pedro Pascal, who has been tasked with escorting across the country Ellie (Bella Ramsey), a teenage girl with an apparent rare immunity to the infection. In an interview with The New Yorker, creator Neil Druckmann recalled how, in 2014, a film adaptation fell through because executives wanted to make it bigger and "sexier", like the Brad Pitt film World War Z. Neither of which is the case for HBO's remarkable nine-part adaptation of The Last of Us, generally regarded as one of the greatest video game stories ever told.

The Last of Us review — Read what we had to say about HBO's video game adaptation in our five star spoiler-free review.

It's cinematic, but not in a slick, glossy way like [Resident Evil's](https://www.digitalspy.com/videogames/resident-evil/) version of the apocalypse. Trust is earned gradually here in the spirit of the game, and just like in the game, both of them still make mistakes with the other, some almost too great to bear. The Last of Us will be available on Sky Atlantic and streaming service NOW with "That was never our goal, like, 'how do we surprise them?' We knew that would happen organically as we just kind of adapt this from one medium to another, and the surprises will emerge in that way." Like [28 Days Later](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a39744793/28-days-later-writer-long-running-debate/) and [The Walking Dead](https://www.digitalspy.com/the-walking-dead/) before it, [HBO's](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a35509074/the-last-of-us-release-date-hbo/) zombie thriller will change the way these stories are told on screen in the same way that [2013's game of the same name](https://www.digitalspy.com/tech/a40832597/buy-the-last-of-us-part-1-remake-ps5/) did in the gaming world. [GQ](https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/pedro-pascal-interview-2022)). And don't forget the HBO executives who funded (what's said to be) the largest television production in Canadian history (via [CTV](https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/filming-of-hbo-series-the-last-of-us-the-largest-ever-production-in-canada-underway-in-calgary-1.5532880)). [The Last of Us](https://www.digitalspy.com/last-of-us/). Like in the games, sound design is key to all this. A huge part of that success comes down to the production itself. This early on, you already get a feel for how strong The Last of Us is, and just like a clicker running at full pelt, the show just keeps going, with each scene turning out better than the last. Instead, a widespread fungus has evolved to the point where it can survive in human hosts, taking control of their nervous system like real-life fungi can take over bugs.

Rending the gameplay out of a game that's fleshed out by televisual tropes, the series ends up as mostly just the latter. by Pat Brown. January 10, 2023.

The underwhelming confrontations with the zombies may be one crucial aspect of why this adaptation fails to accomplish the dramatic heights that the game did. The result is a series that not only often runs like a compilation of extended versions of the game’s cutscenes, but is also almost assertively middlebrow. Take the fifth episode, in which Joel and Ellie confront a cult of personality led by would-be authoritarian Kathleen (Melanie Lynskey) in Kansas City. In the second episode of the season, after the initial job to hand Ellie over to the Fireflies on the outskirts of Boston goes belly-up, he resolves to help her find her way to a medical facility in Utah. Many stretches of the game that staged memorable battles with hordes of zombies—like Elie and Joel’s run-in with Joel’s smuggling contact, Bill (Nick Offerman), outside of Boston—are reconceptualized in the terms of prestige television. The journey there becomes a tour of the various mini-dystopias that have sprung up in the two decades since society collapsed.

Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann co-created HBO's new drama "The Last of Us," starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.

But for all that the fall was not the fault of humanity in this telling of our demise, I hope, in seasons to come, to see still more of the world beyond our heroes’ relationship. (The Bartlett episode in particular makes a strong case for itself as a successor of sorts to “Black Mirror” at its best. That we come to understand them as well as we do without this layer of detail — indeed, with the show seeming eventually to be rushing away from its protagonists — is an achievement. Adapted from the popular video game of the same title by “Chernobyl’s” [Craig Mazin](https://variety.com/t/craig-mazin/) and the game’s designer, Neil Druckmann, “The Last of Us” can lean too hard on action sequences, which emphasizes the uncanny surreality of the infected. [Pedro Pascal](https://variety.com/t/pedro-pascal/)) that buoys “The Last of Us” through its run. Here, as in “Chernobyl,” we watch as characters slowly, then all at once, come into awareness that the world around them is falling apart.

When we compare the game and the TV adaptation, I have to admit: the HBO version sometimes steals the show.

But as someone who admires the original game and what it achieved, HBO’s “The Last of Us” is still a fascinating and enjoyable ride through an old familiar adventure tale, powered by actors who honor the original vision. A previous version of this article misspelled the surname of the actress who plays Ellie. There is a nagging sense that some minor changes to dialogue were made just for the sake of change, and it’s hard for me, as someone who’s digested the game thoroughly for years, to parse whether they work better. Many of the episodic emotional cliffhangers from the first game are, again, echoed in the show. The zombies in “The Last of Us” aren’t the undead. The heartbreaking first 15 minutes of the game are depicted here, and Pascal’s performance underscores the blooming heartache that would fester into a shriveled, diminished soul. Like the game, Mazin and Druckmann’s reworked TV version is not an ensemble story; this is no “The Walking Dead.” Instead, it is laser-focused on the budding relationship between two people who want nothing to do with each other. And like in the game, it portrays this all with earnestness and not an ounce of irony. HBO’s “The Last of Us,” adapted by showrunner Craig Mazin (of “Chernobyl” fame) and Naughty Dog’s co-president, Neil Druckmann, will likely not draw the same ire. For example, the brothers Sam and Henry — already pivotal characters from the game — are given a far more extensive story that explains their plight and their reasons for wanting to join Joel and Ellie. The nine episodes follow the exact same story beats and almost the same locations as the original game too. HBO’s “The Last of Us” places a lot of faith in its source material’s writing.

Joel and Ellie have made their silver screen debut, but is the show any good? Connor Makar avatar. News by Connor Makar Staff Writer.

[Radio Times](https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/the-last-of-us-tv-show-review/)- 5/5 [Hollywood Reporter](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/the-last-of-us-hbo-1235292687/)- Positive: “Well, you’ve done pretty well indeed, The Last of Us.” [Digital Spy](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a42429477/last-of-us-review-tv/)- 5/5 [Empire](https://www.empireonline.com/tv/reviews/the-last-of-us/)- 5/5 [Variety](https://variety.com/2023/tv/reviews/the-last-of-us-hbo-review-1235480139/)- Positive: “...what works about “The Last of Us” works well enough that one sees the near future in which the show winds up among television’s best.” [Collider](https://collider.com/the-last-of-us-hbo-review/)- A+ [NME](https://www.nme.com/reviews/tv-reviews/the-last-of-us-review-pedro-pascal-bella-ramsey-3376317)- 4/5 [IGN](https://www.ign.com/articles/the-last-of-us-season-1-review)- Positive: “HBO’s The Last of Us is a breathtaking adaptation of one of the most impactful stories told in video games and brilliantly brings Joel and Ellie’s journey to a whole new audience.” [Gamespot](https://www.gamespot.com/reviews/the-last-of-us-hbo-show-review-faithful-additive-and-excellent/1900-6418015/)- 9/10 [BBC](https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20230109-the-last-of-us-review-the-best-video-game-adaptation-ever)- 4/5 [Inverse](https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/the-last-of-us-review-hbo)- Positive: “This series is its best-case scenario — the original creator, a proven HBO visionary, an A-list cast, and a script that found every heartstring it could possibly pull. Based on the hit video game by Naughty Dog, you follow the story of Joel and Ellie as they venture through a treacherous North America, running into all sort of perilous hurdles along the way. To bastardize a quote from yet another video game: this is The Last of Us’ final form.” [Forbes](https://www.forbes.com/sites/erikkain/2023/01/10/hbos-the-last-of-us-review/?sh=14c708df7ea9)- Positive: “There’s something about being a part of the story that a TV show simply can’t replicate. But TV has its own strengths, and showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann have done a remarkable job adapting the game to screen.” [Rolling Stone](https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/the-last-of-us-review-hbo-zombies-neil-druckmann-pedro-pascal-bella-ramsey-1234655768/)- Positive: “I’ve never played the game, but Druckmann and Mazin have turned it into something that works incredibly well as a television show.” [Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/video-games/reviews/the-last-of-us-hbo-season-1-review/)- Positive: “When I compare the two stories, and the artistic choices made to differentiate the show from the game, I have to admit: the HBO version sometimes steals the show.” [The Verge](https://www.theverge.com/23543145/hbo-the-last-of-us-review)- Fine: “HBO’s new series is extremely fine. The Last of Us releases on January 15 for the USA, and January 16 in the EU. You can click through and read them yourself below: The Last of Us HBO reviews The Last of Us HBO series reviews have dropped, giving all of us an early insight into the quality of Joel and Ellie’s adventure into the living rooms and televisions of fans of curious newcomers all across the world. The Last of US is a post-apocalyptic series where With this The Last of Us HBO review round-up, we’ve compiled many of the biggest reviews for the show, so that you can see the critical consensus and begin diving into early reviews, all from one page. [fungal monsters have overwhelmed the majority of the world](https://www.vg247.com/hbos-the-last-of-us-will-show-us-more-of-life-before-the-apocalypse-hit). The Last of Us TV show review round up: 'Among television's best."

The Last of Us, HBO's mega-money adaptation of Naughty Dog's post-apocalyptic PlayStation odyssey, isn't just the best video game adaptation ever made.

[Pedro Pascal](https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/pedro-pascal-interview-2022), the internet's favourite gruff dad, was lined up to play Joel, the internet's other favourite gruff dad. We begin the series from the perspective of Sarah (Nico Parker), a young girl living in rural Texas with her dad, Joel, and her uncle, Tommy (Gabriel Luna). For one, we begin in 2003, America very much in the new age of terror (they've seen nothing yet, of course), rather than 2013. [video game](https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/gallery/best-games-2023) adaptations, even when everything is there to suggest otherwise. The game itself is considered one of, if not the best ever made. Take [The Last of Us](https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/the-last-of-us-tv-series), HBO's mega-money gambit to bring one of the most celebrated masterpieces of the genre to the small screen.

In 2003, an outbreak of an infectious fungus that turns human hosts into deadly monsters leaves the world in ruins. Twenty years later, survivor Joel ...

One of the game’s key strengths was its depth of character, and that’s only intensified here. To say more might spoil the experience; suffice to say that it is moving, surprisingly romantic, and one of the finest hours of television in recent memory. And yet for all its vast canvas, for all its monster mayhem, the focus remains at all times on the characters. He’s re-imagined here as a survivalist and occasional conspiracy nutter who prepared for zombies his entire life, proving it possible to eke out a good dystopia from the ruins of the world. The live-action The Last Of Us is a superb example of how to make an adaptation work, how to retain the elements of what worked while having the confidence to explore bold new avenues, to expand the universe, to make a thing that stands on its own two feet. Clearly aware they are working from a pretty bloody strong template — and perhaps also conscious of pleasing the game’s aggressively loyal fan base — Druckmann and Mazin have hewed relatively closely to the original narrative.

Here's what the critics think about HBO's video game adaptation.

"Comfortably the best adaptation of a video-game ever made: one that deepens the game's dystopian lore, while staying true to its emotional core. "HBO's The Last of Us is a breathtaking adaptation of one of the most impactful stories told in video games and brilliantly brings Joel and Ellie's journey to a whole new audience. Taking the essence of what made the original tale so enduring, it builds out the world of the game while also switching up some aspects to almost entirely stunning effect." "It stands proudly as one of the best video game adaptations ever, and a clear signal that PlayStation is right to pursue a future where its already reputable video games are reborn on TV. The show is brought to life by a cast and crew that seems hellbent on living up to its name and their own already-glowing reputations." What do critics think of the video game adaptation?

One of the most cinematic games of all time is Sony and Naughty Dog's "The Last of Us," which launched in 2013 and became an instant critical and commercial hit ...

In many ways, it's a perfect story for where we are in 2023, picking up the pieces of the last few years and finding what's important to us again. I wanted a little more building, and the show rushes the final two episodes in a way that made me wonder if that's where most of the compression happened when it lost a chapter from the initial ten episodes that Mazin said would happen back in July 2021. In terms of storytelling and design, the show will be very familiar to gamers, almost too much at times. After a chilling prologue in which an expert on a talk show offers his belief that the world-ending pandemic will be fungal and not viral, "The Last of Us" opens properly in 2003, hours before society's collapse. [Pedro Pascal](/cast-and-crew/pedro-pascal)), an Austin-based contractor, and his brother Tommy ( [Gabriel Luna](/cast-and-crew/gabriel-luna)). It's a fascinating deconstruction of the game that leans on character and storytelling instead of action, and it does so in a way that's confidently grounded.

It also helped that Perotta served as an executive producer on the series, helping to translate as well as flesh out his novel for the big screen. The success ...

Both of them turn out to have hidden depths: Melanie is working to keep the Snowpiercer running while Andre instigates a revolution and ends up taking control of the train - as well as its community. Perhaps the biggest twist on the post-apocalyptic genre would come courtesy of The Last Man On Earth. Another show that took a different approach to the end of the world would be Into The Badlands on AMC. Plenty of comic books have explored the end of the world, and the most infamous are Brian K. [reevaluation of Craig Mazin's work](https://collider.com/craig-mazin-chernobyl-the-last-of-us/), as he served as head writer on the series. It also gets extremely meta as there's an actual in-universe novel named Station Eleven, which leads to the formation of a deadly cult. Unlike other shows attempting to grapple with the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic, Station Eleven took a different approach by leaping in and out of time, exploring the events that led up to the formation of the performing collective known as the Traveling Symphony. This approach led to the series gathering critical acclaim, particularly when it came to the performances of series leads The success of The Leftovers also led co-showrunner Damon Lindelof to develop another series for HBO with Watchmen. It centers around the survivors of a mysterious event that led to 2% of the world's population mysteriously disappearing. It also helped that Perotta served as an executive producer on the series, helping to translate as well as flesh out his novel for the big screen. [The Last of Us](https://collider.com/the-last-of-us-hbo-review/) on HBO.