"At the 2025 Primetime Emmy Awards, there were quite a few critical darlings that didn't fare nearly as well as they had in previous years. HBO's The Last of Us, the most celebrated video game adaptation of the last half-decade, falls into this category big time. While the first season earned 24 nominations and 8 wins during Emmy Award season in 2023, the second season took home just one."
"Before breaking down the issues with season two, it's important to break down why exactly The Last of Us season one was such a revelation for new viewers. The show follows Joel and Ellie, two flawed but likable characters who build a believable relationship over the course of an arduous journey. That relationship builds to a crescendo that pulls the rug out from under the viewer with a disturbing choice that recontextualizes what viewers may have felt about its older male lead."
"The Last of Us may be derivative of post-apocalyptic stories like The Road. But it represents one of the best cinematic narratives in gaming, one that needed little tweaking when translated for the small screen. Leaving the viewer with the open-ended question of whether Joel was justified in his actions is as masterful and effective as it was in 2013."
Season one earned 24 nominations and eight wins at the 2023 Emmys; season two took home one at the 2025 Primetime Emmy Awards. The disparity reflects some loss of luster as the show continued, but a clearer cause is adapting The Last of Us Part II, a longer, more ambitious narrative that was split into two disjointed parts. Season one succeeded through the simplicity of the game's story: Joel and Ellie develop a believable relationship that culminates in a disturbing choice that recontextualizes the older male lead. The television adaptation expanded characters like Bill to add humanity; season two lacked that focused simplicity.
Read at Inverse
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