‘The Last of Us’ Season 3 Finally Gets a Release Window Fans Can Look Forward To

Casey Bloys, the head of content for HBO and Max, had a great morning when the combined platform earned a record 142 Emmy nominations, the most ever for the company.

Bloys mentioned that his head of awards, Austin O’Malia, prepared him for different outcomes, saying, “he was feeling good. So if he feels good, I feel good.” This positive feeling was proven right with major nods going to several shows. “The Penguin” led the pack with 24 nominations, followed closely by “The White Lotus” with 23. “The Last of Us” received 16 nominations, “Hacks” got 14, and “The Pitt” earned 13.

One of the big topics around “The Last of Us” is Neil Druckmann stepping away from the show. When asked about this change from HBO’s point of view, Bloys explained that it was great having Neil involved at the start.

He said, “The whole reason that I wanted to do ‘Last of Us’ is after ‘Chernobyl,’ I said to Craig, ‘what do you want to do next?’ And ‘Last of Us’ was what he wanted to do. That’s what was most important to me, Craig’s creative excitement about the show.” Bloys also acknowledged Neil’s demanding job at Naughty Dog, creating video games, which made it understandable why Neil needed to focus elsewhere.

Still, Bloys is confident in the direction of the show, saying, “I believe he’s given us a good blueprint with the show. And obviously Craig is a pro, so I think we’ll be in excellent shape. I’m not worried at all.”

Looking ahead, Bloys confirmed that Season 3 is planned for 2027. However, it’s still not decided whether the next part will be split into two seasons or just one long season. Bloys mentioned, “Craig is still working it out… I’m following Craig’s lead on that.”

Since the show follows the video game’s storyline, some characters will change or may appear less, such as Pedro Pascal’s character no longer being in the story and some uncertainty about Bella’s role. Bloys didn’t see this as a problem, adding, “I think the title is obviously helped by the video game, and now the first two seasons is pretty well established.” He also expressed appreciation for shows that explore different perspectives.

The second season of “The Last of Us” was met with strong praise from critics. It received high scores on review sites and was seen as a worthy continuation that kept the strong performances and realistic tone of the first season. Many agreed that it set a new standard for video game adaptations.

Critics applauded the show’s action scenes, direction, acting, set design, and writing. However, some felt that the story moved too quickly in places and left some parts feeling unfinished.

Reviewers also admired how the production teams worked together smoothly and how the directors handled their episodes, with some comparing the action scenes to the best moments from other popular shows and movies.

The emotional connection between the main characters was highlighted as a key strength, even if some thought that these moments were less frequent than in the first season. The show’s visual style and world-building were also praised, though a few critics pointed out some inconsistencies in the setting.

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