The Last Of Us Is Changing Genres In 2027

HBO’s The Last of Us is going to look like a very different show when it returns for its third season in 2027. The Last of Us’ season 2 finale confirmed that the TV show would follow the game’s unique nonlinear structure. Although the series had the ability to cross-cut between different perspectives, a liberty the games weren’t afforded, showrunner Craig Mazin still chose to keep Ellie and Abby’s stories separate.

This was a wise move from a dramatic perspective, because what makes The Last of Us Part II so effective is that we see Ellie’s story in full — we follow her every step of the way to kill Abby — before we start to empathize with Abby. But the business of television relies on giving audiences things they’re already familiar with, and replacing the entire main cast and focusing on the supposed “villain” is a huge risk.

The series lead is changing from Bella Ramsey to Kaitlyn Dever, the focus of the story is shifting from Ellie’s quest for revenge to Abby’s quest for redemption, and the genre is switching from vigilante caper to military actioner. Where Ellie’s story is a straightforward revenge thriller, Abby’s story is a war movie.

The Last Of Us Season 3 Will Be A Full-Blown War Movie

Throughout Ellie’s story in The Last of Us season 2, we saw plenty of hints at the civil war going on in Seattle. The Washington Liberation Front, or W.L.F., led by Jeffrey Wright’s Isaac, is determined to exterminate a religious cult named the Seraphites (or, as the Wolves call them, “scars”), whose late prophet’s teachings of peace and love have been warped by a nefarious council of pedophilic elders.

But in Ellie’s storyline, that war was just an exciting backdrop; it’s Ellie’s internal struggle writ large. In the game, it’s an ingenious piece of environmental storytelling. The conflict between the Wolves and the Seraphites reflects the endless cycle of violence that Ellie is perpetuating. An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind, as they say, and the casualties of war serve as constant haunting reminders of the trail of dead bodies that Ellie is continuing. Joel killed Jerry, Abby killed Joel, Ellie wants to kill Abby — where does it end?

Abby’s storyline, on the other hand, takes you right into the center of that war. When we catch up with Abby on “Day 1,” she’s Isaac’s top scar killer, helping him prepare for the invasion of the Seraphites’ island (which we saw briefly through Ellie’s eyes in the season 2 finale’s most pointless scene). But she soon defects from the W.L.F. and teams up with a couple of young Seraphites when she realizes they’re her best shot at redemption.

Over the next three days, Abby and her young companions find themselves on lots of battlefields where both sides are trying to kill them. Thematically, Abby’s storyline is all about how war is futile and there are good people on both sides. It feels like Saving Private Ryan or Apocalypse Now.

The Last Of Us Could Switch Genres Again Before The End Of Season 3

While HBO floated a four-season plan for The Last of Us, it’s looking like season 3 will be the last. Neil Druckmann, the co-creator of the TV show and sole creator of the video game franchise, has already jumped ship, and Mazin has lined up a Baldur’s Gate series as his next project. Everyone’s looking for the door after the sour reception to season 2, so The Last of Us season 3 is likely to adapt the rest of the game.

If The Last of Us season 3 is finishing off the game, then the show will switch genres once again before the end. It’ll turn back into a revenge story when it refocuses on Ellie and sends her off to Santa Barbara for a dark night of the soul...

The Last of Us

8/10

Release Date January 15, 2023

Network HBO

Showrunner Craig Mazin

Directors Craig Mazin, Peter Hoar, Jeremy Webb, Ali Abbasi, Mark Mylod, Stephen Williams, Jasmila Žbanić, Liza Johnson, Nina Lopez-Corrado