What fans can expect from season 3 of "The Last of Us"

Reel Perspectives

June 2, 2025

The second season of HBO's critically acclaimed post-apocalyptic series The Last of Us officially ended on Sunday, May 25, delivering one of the most emotionally charged seasons in television history. If you were unfamiliar with the video game franchise developed by Naughty Dog, you would be unaware of the devastating death that awaited fan favorite Joel Miller, played by a soulful Pedro Pascal, in episode 2, which changed the entire trajectory of the series.

Set twenty-five years after a global pandemic caused by a fungal infection and five years after the events of Season 1, the story follows Joel, who killed 19 Fireflies—the revolutionary militia group opposing the U.S. military's rule—at a hospital where they intended to experiment on and ultimately kill Ellie in search of a cure. The series has been an emotional rollercoaster, led by the outstanding performances of Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, who plays Ellie.

Showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann crafted a beautiful father-daughter relationship in Season 1, which they took great care to develop, however the relationship became strained after Joel's lie, causing Ellie to become resentful as she pulled emotionally away from him. What the series did rather effectively was show that even though the two were emotionally apart, the love was still there, so when Joel was brutally killed by Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), whose father is one of the doctors Joel killed, it evoked one of the most gut-wrenching, visceral reactions from viewers quickly setting the tone for Ellie's revenge for the rest of the season.

While the spotlight was on Ellie, other fantastic performances elevated the season. Notably, Isabela Merced's portrayal of Dina made viewers genuinely care about her character, with her tough yet vulnerable disposition rising to the occasion in every scene. Her chemistry with Ramsey easily made them relatable, along with Jeffrey Wright, who portrayed Isaac with complexity and grit.

Most of the season has focused on Ellie in her quest for revenge, scouring Seattle with Dina faithfully by her side. There has been much debate online among avid gamers who have passionately played the game and have noticed noticeable differences in the TV adaptation. Even though the season finale of Season 2 saw a notable decline in ratings, the series still remains one of the best on television as it heads into Season 3, which has already been announced with the narrative creatively shifting to Abby's backstory. Viewers may be split, considering she was responsible for Joel's death and now Jesse's (Young Mazino) however, during a recent press conference, co-creator and co-showrunner Craig Mazin stated, "There's no question that Abby is the hero of her story....There is another side to this story that we have yet to really delve into." He further teased the backstories of the Seraphites, the prophet, Isaac's motivations, and what really happened at the end of episode 7. "All of that will become clear," he further added.

Heading into Season 3, Mazin has teased plenty of exciting developments to look forward to, taking its cue from the source material of The Last of Us Part II however fans will have to wait at least another two years for the continuation of Ellie and Abby's stories as Season 3 is expected to be released sometime in 2027.

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All episodes of The Last of Us are available to stream on HBO/MAX and Sky and NOW in the UK. 

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