The first season of The Last of Us, the HBO adaptation of the Naughty Dog video game, was a massive success. A number of milestones for viewership were broken and shows like House of the Dragon were eclipsed when the season finale aired. The season’s end features a violent choice made by Joel (Pedro Pascal), which presents viewers with a morally dubious option. However, it seems like there was more to the story.
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The Last of Us Season 1 was originally intended to have 10 episodes
The Last of Us showrunner Craig Mazin admitted that Season 1 was originally planned to have 10 episodes, and on being asked by THR if they are planning to do so with Season 2 as well, he replied:
“It means neither of those things. We’ve laid out our vision to HBO for how this series should lay out across not one season, but multiple seasons.”
The Last of Us showrunners have four seasons in plans
Mazin elaborated in the same interview, “You never know. It can end up being three or five. But four seems like a good number. Some seasons, because of the story we’re telling, will need fewer episodes and some will need more. The best news is the audience wants more. We will not indulge a desire for more simply to make them happier when they hear how many episodes are announced. And if they don’t like how many episodes are in a season because they want more, well, OK.
But when all is said and done, I think the wisdom of how we lay it out will hopefully be clear. I don’t know if any season will actually have the same amount of episodes. But, whatever, the number’s not important. What’s important is when they get to the end of the season, they’re like, “That was a good season.”
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