The Last of Us is an American post-apocalyptic drama television series created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann for HBO and based on the video game franchise developed by Naughty Dog. It follows Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), who travel across the United States in the first season, based on 2013's The Last of Us. In the second season, based on 2020's The Last of Us Part II, they have settled in Jackson, Wyoming, with Joel's brother Tommy (Gabriel Luna) and Ellie's friends Dina (Isabela Merced) and Jesse (Young Mazino). After Joel's death, the group travel to Seattle to track down his killer, Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), who is set to be the focus of the third season. Guest stars include Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett as isolated survivalists Bill and Frank, Lamar Johnson and Keivonn Montreal Woodard as brothers Henry and Sam, Melanie Lynskey as resistance leader Kathleen, Storm Reid as Ellie's best friend Riley, Catherine O'Hara as Joel's therapist Gail, and Jeffrey Wright as militia leader Isaac.
The Last of Us premiered in January 2023, and the second season aired in 2025. It is the first live-action video game adaptation to receive major awards consideration. From major guilds, it won two awards at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and one each at the Directors and Writers Guild of America Awards, and received two nominations from the Producers Guild. It was nominated for six TCA Awards, four Critics' Choice Television Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, and four British Academy Television Awards, including Ramsey as the youngest-ever Leading Actress nominee. The series led the 1st Astra Creative Arts TV Awards with six nominations and the Visual Effects Society Awards's television categories with six nominations and four wins in 2024 and four nominations in 2026. In genre awards, it was nominated for six Saturn Awards and won a Hugo Award. It won a Peabody Award for Entertainment and earned the Ruderman Family Foundation's Seal of Authentic Representation for Woodard's role, while Ramsey was named a BAFTA Breakthrough in 2023.
The first season was nominated for 24 Primetime Emmy Awards, with a leading eight wins at the 75th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards. Ramsey, who is non-binary, considered withdrawing due to the lack of non-gendered categories following Liv Hewson's withdrawal for Yellowjackets, but decided to contend for Lead Actress after discussions with Mazin, not wanting limited language to prevent celebrating non-binary performers; Ramsey's was the second non-binary acting nomination and the first for a leading role at time of nomination, and the fourth-youngest in the category. Woodard was the second-youngest Emmy nominee, the youngest for Guest Actor in a Drama Series, and the first nominated Black deaf and second deaf actor, while Pascal was the second Latino nominated for Lead Actor in a Drama Series and the first since 1999. The second season was nominated for 17 Emmy Awards. Pascal's limited second-season role prompted a decision between a lead or supporting actor submission, while Dever similarly had to decide between supporting and guest actress. Ramsey's nomination made them the first non-binary performer to receive a second nomination and the youngest two-time lead drama actress nominee, while Pascal became the second Latino nominated for lead drama actor more than once.
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