1 day Ago By [email protected] (Rory Mellon)
"The Last of Us" season 2 is finally here! After more than two years of waiting, HBO’s smash hit adaptation of the best-selling PlayStation video game franchise is set to return tonight with the premiere episode, “Future Days,” airing at 9 p.m. ET / 6 p.
m. PT on both HBO and Max.(In the U.
K., it’s airing in the early hours of Monday at 2 a.m.
BST on Sky Atlantic and Now).We’ll be catching up with Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) following the dramatic events of the season 1 finale, which saw the former tell one heck of a lie, which might just have some serious consequences. Expect to be introduced to a larger cast of new characters, the most significant of whom is Abby (Kaitlyn Dever).
There’s no doubt that the return of “The Last of Us’” is one of the most anticipated TV events of 2025, and we’re on hand to guide you through the premiere with plenty of build-up, alongside live coverage of the episode and some post-show reactions. We’ve also got all the information you need on how to watch 'The Last of Us' season 2 live from anywhere in the world.So, let’s dive into “The Last of Us” season 2 premiere as it unfolds.
Just be sure to prepare yourself first. If you thought last season was pretty dark, things are set to get even bleaker.Last season on ‘The Last of Us’(Image credit: Liane Hentscher/HBO)“The Last of Us” season 1 aired more than two years ago, beginning in January 2023 and concluding in mid-March.
It’s been a long road to get to season 2, and now that we’re just a few hours away from the premier of episode 1, “Future Days,” you might need a recap.Set 20 years after a mutated cordyceps infection led to the collapse of society, “The Last of Us” picks up with Joel (Pedro Pascal), a hardened survivor who lost his daughter in the initial outbreak, living in a Boston quarantine zone with smuggling partner Tess (Anna Torv).Joel and Tess are tasked by the leader of the Fireflies, a group resisting the rule of the Federal Disaster Response Agency (FEDRA), to transport a young girl, Ellie (Bella Ramsey), across the country to a Western outpost.
It’s soon revealed that Ellie is actually immune to the cordyceps infection and she may be the key to creating a vaccine. When Tess is bitten, she sacrifices herself so that Joel and Ellie can escape a pursuing hoard of zombie-like creatures, and the journey really begins.They encounter numerous survivors along the way.
Some are friendly like Henry (Lamar Johnson) and his younger brother Sam (Keivonn Montreal Woodard). Some decidedly less so, like David (Scott Shepherd), the leader of a group that has turned to cannibalism to stay alive.Joel and Ellie eventually make it to the Fireflies holed up in a Lincoln hospital.
But when Joel learns that the group’s plan to develop a cure will involve a procedure that Ellie won’t survive, he goes AWOL and brutally murders the Fireflies within the hospital, including Marlene.Rather than revealing his action to Ellie, he concocts a lie that the Fireflies had already tried and failed to create a cure with previous immune people and let them leave.And that’s a very speedy recap of “The Last of Us” season 1, as we head into this new season don’t be surprised if the repercussions of Joel’s actions are felt from the jump.
You’ve seen the show, now play the game(Image credit: Sony)You’d have to be living under a rock to have missed that “The Last of Us” is actually based on a series of hit video games developed by PlayStation-owned studio Naughty Dog.As a lifelong gamer, who spends just as much time on his PS5 Pro as I do streaming Netflix each week, I’ve been a dedicated megafan of "The Last of Us" games since the very first one launched on PS3 back in 2013. I can still recall picking it up at a local midnight launch.
If you’ve yet to play "The Last of Us" or its phenomenal sequel 2020’s "The Last of Us Part II" (which is what season 2 of the show will adapt), you should. Even my non-gamer partner has enjoyed watching me play them because they’re highly cinematic and well-crafted.Even better, both have been brought over to the PS5, in the form of "The Last of Us Part 1" and "The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered.
" I was lucky enough to review both for Tom’s Guide upon their respective launches in 2022 and 2024, and the latter is the first (and currently only) five-star score I’ve given to a video game. And I’ve reviewed a lot of games for TG.‘The Last of Us’ season 2 trailers — get caught up on all the previewsOur first real look at season 2 came on “The Last Of Us” Day on Sept.
26. The teaser starts out decidedly peaceful, showing quiet moments in and around Jackson, though it’s clear there’s tension in the air.Ellie’s nearly ambushed by a Stalker, Abby dodges hordes of infected, and some new cast members crop up.
It looks like Max has taken it down, but the Warner Bros. UK YouTube channel still has it online.Then, in January, we got a brief, and panicked, look at what’s to come in the new season.
Beginning with Abby wandering an abandoned building while an alarm blares, it then descends into chaotic glimpses of the infected, Jeffrey Wright, and carnage from Jackson and elsewhere.And in March, we finally got a full trailer. It featured new shots of mystery factions whom video gamers will instantly recognize, plus a better look at some of the major set pieces coming our way this season.
It’s all looking seriously tense, and I can’t wait to see how the show tackles this sprawling story. - Martin Shore‘The Last of Us’ season 2 is already a hit with critics(Image credit: Liane Hentscher/HBO)The review embargo for “The Last Of Us” season 2 lifted this week, and, on the whole, it sounds like we’re on for another great season of TV.So far, season 2 has earned a 93% critics’ rating on Rotten Tomatoes, aggregated from a total of 59 reviews.
This puts it only slightly behind the first installment (which is sitting at 96%).Reactions are mostly very positive, with praise for the performances, the drama, and the brutal action seen across this seven-part season.That said, several critics mentioned it felt “incomplete” (a totally understandable conclusion, given this season tells only part of "The Last Of Us Part II" game's story) and that it isn’t quite as impressive as the first chapter.
Want to hear some specific takes? Check out our “The Last Of Us” season 2 review round-up for a more in-depth look at what the critics have said going into tonight’s premiere. - Martin.
