Ever since the original game was released on PS3, Sony has been attempting to convert Naughty Dog’s acclaimed post-apocalyptic drama The Last of Us into a live action format, originallystarting out as a filmbefore eventually shifting into a TV series.
After going into development hell like many video game adaptations before it, it seemed like Joel and Ellie’s story was destined to stay trapped on PlayStation devices. Finally, in 2020, it was revealed that Chernobyl showrunner Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, the creative director and writer of the game, would be working together to create anHBO seriesbased on the first two games. Nearly three years later, the first season of the show released to a similarly high level of critical and fan acclaim that the game received, borrowing some of the more memorable storylines and moments from the game’s plot while also telling new stories to keep things fresh for first-time viewers and experienced fans alike.
The show also set record viewer levels for HBO, as the series premiere had the second largest viewership for an HBO debut since 2010. Today, the nominations for the 2023 Emmy Awards have been announced, and The Last of Us has ended up with 24 total nominations, the second most for any show this year behind fellow HBO series Succession. In addition to nominations for Outstanding Drama Series and ones for both of the leads, Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie, the show also boasts seven Guest Actor/Actress nominations and plenty more across various other categories, including Directing, Writing, Special Visual Effects and more. Check out the full list of nominations below:
It remains to be seen how many awards the first season will end up winning, but securing this many nominations is quite a feat for an adaptation that took so long to get made in the first place. Despite currently being scheduled for September, the 75th Primetime Emmys could end up being delayed to November or January due to the ongoing writer’s strike, which is also affecting production on the second season of the show. Although thesecond season was announcedshortly after the series premiere, no scripts have been completed before the strike began in May, and neither Mazin or Druckmann are working on the series while the strike is in progress.
