Shortly after its debut, it was clear that The Last Of Us was a HBO show that got the world talking. The series adapted the beloved video games for film, and the first two seasons (which are streaming with a HBO Max subscription) came out in quick succession. Showrunner Craig Mazin recently teased what's coming for its upcoming third season, and I need new episodes to arrive ASAP.
Fans have tons of questions about The Last of Us Season 3, which will seemingly be focused on Kaitlyn Dever's Abby. In an interview with THR about his new movie The Sheep Detectives, Mazin spoke about the main idea behind Abby being the third season's protagonist. In his words:
Well, it wasn’t like season two wasn’t a departure. We knew what we were doing there, and what I love about that story is that you are denied your heroes and you’re denied your villains. What you are forced to reconcile with is that the people that you care about and root for are not good all the time
Folks who played the Last Of Us games knew this twist was coming, as Abby was one of the playable characters in The Last of Us Part II. While she was originally seen on the show as a villain after killing Pedro Pascal's Joel, her motivation and trauma about losing her own father will likely be expanded in Season 3. And this shift in perspective is seemingly at the center of the show's story as a whole.
The Last Of Us' Season 2 finale ended with Dever's Abby taking center stage, and as someone who never played the games I can't wait to see how this changes my idea of the character. Later in the same interview, Mazin spoke about the deeper messaging behind this change of protagonist, stating:
It is a question of perspective and narrative. It’s a very powerful thing to be given a story that gives you a hero and that makes your side good. That is fundamental to most religions — and it is fundamental to most politics now. It creates a tribalism. It’s 'us versus them,' and it happens very, very quickly. What I loved about the story of the game, which is in line with what I am pursuing on the show, is that it is not that simple.
While The Last Of Us is an apocalyptic story where the human race is fighting against terrifying zombie creatures, sometimes the human are the real monsters. The conflict between Abby's group and the Jackson community will presumably reach a boiling point in Season 3, and the audience will have the unique perspective of being in both POVs. And that's exactly what Craig Mazin and company want from the video game's TV adaptation.
The first two season of The Last Of Us are streaming on HBO Max. It's currently unclear when Season 3 will debut, but it's currently expected in 2027 rather than the 2026 TV schedule. So fans like me will have to practice some patience before seeing the fruits of Mazin's labor.
