Many are wondering if the upcoming third season of HBO’s The Last of Us could be the show’s final set of episodes, and that appears to be increasingly likely.
HBO programming boss Casey Bloys was asked by Deadline if the third season will be its last, and he replied, “It certainly seems that way.” He didn’t totally confirm anything, though, as Bloys went on to say, “On decisions like that, we defer to the showrunners. So you can ask them.”
Season 3 is expected to premiere sometime in 2027, though HBO has yet to set an official date. Craig Mazin is the sole showrunner for Season 3, following the departure of Neil Druckmann.
Before this, Mazin said that Season 4 was essential to bring the show to a conclusion. However, Bloys has indicated that the show may wrap up its run with Season 3.
“Craig is still working it out whether it will be two more seasons or one more long season. It hasn’t been decided yet, and I’m following Craig’s lead on that,” Bloys said.
Mazin has said The Last of Us will not follow HBO’s Game of Thrones in how that fantasy series told a story that went beyond what George R.R. Martin wrote in the books. Given that there is no The Last of Us: Part III–at least not yet–and how far along the TV show already is in the story, it might feel natural to close with Season 3. Nothing is locked down as of yet, however.
“I am not going to go past the game. I’ll just say that flat out. So if people are thinking, ‘Oh, these guys are planning the old cash grab thing…'” Mazin told The Hollywood Reporter in 2025.
As for the game series, The Last of Us: Part III is rumored to be in the works at Naughty Dog, but this is not confirmed. The company is working on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet right now, and some believe it may show up at the rumored PlayStation State of Play in February.
