‘The Last of Us’ Creator Says ‘Careful’ Viewers Will be Rewarded

The highly anticipated sci-fi series, The Last of Us, premiered on HBO on January 15, 2023. It has been met with positive reception from fans and critics alike. Creator Craig Mazin knows how important the show is for fans of the game it is based on. And he hinted that those paying “careful” attention would be rewarded.

‘The Last of Us’ is based on a popular video game with a large fan base

Pedro Pascal appears in 'The Last of Us'. Fans have complaints about Pscal's beard — Pedro Pascal | Liane Hentscher/HBO

The Last of Us, the post-apocalyptic action-adventure drama series from HBO, has been met with glowing reviews. The series is based on the 2013 video game of the same name. And it has been widely praised for its faithful adaptation of the original story. It follows the journey of Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), two survivors of a deadly pandemic, as they travel across the United States in search of a new home.

The series is being lauded for its gripping story, emotionally charged performances, and stunning visuals. It earned a 93% score on Rotten Tomatoes. And fans have taken to social media to share their appreciation for the show. Many note its strong writing and well-crafted characters.

The Last of Us has also been praised for its focus on the characters’ emotional journey and its exploration of themes of love, loss, and hope. And many find its realistic depiction of the post-apocalyptic world to be a refreshing change from most zombie projects.

‘The Last of Us’ creator Craig Mazin teases ‘careful viewers’ will be rewarded

The first two episodes of The Last of Us introduce viewers to Joel and Ellie. They provide some backstory on their journeys in the early days of the zombie apocalypse. The first episode features flashbacks that explain some of Joel’s present-day encounters. And according to Mazin some scenes also include clues that will make sense later on.

“A lot of little details are going to come back around,” Mazin teased in The Last of Us Podcast for episode 1. “We don’t want to give spoilers. But I will say this, careful viewers of this episode will be rewarded repeatedly because little bits of breadcrumbs have been planted that are going to pay off later in interesting ways.”

‘The Last of Us’ showrunners reveal why the series is slightly different from the game

Neil Druckmann, one of the creators of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us video game, wrote and created the HBO series along with Mazin. He also serves as an executive producer. When talking about adapting the game for TV, the showrunners revealed they tried to remain as faithful as they could. But they noted that to tell the story compellingly, they focused more on the characters and their relationships than the action.

“I think in the past, the mistake that some adaptations make when they come from video game to a more passive medium is to hang on to the action and the superficial things and the things that player is doing,” Druckmann said via Radio Times. “And those work magnificently as a game. And they kind of fall flat in this other medium.”

Druckmann also reiterated Mazin’s note that fans should pay close attention to details. “You will be able to rewatch this multiple times and get more information, more nuances because again, the story is all laid out in front of us, especially where it might go past a season,” he teased. “There are things we’d like, seeds we can plant early on and they get paid off much later. I think multiple viewings will get you to appreciate that structure more and more.”

Mazin acknowledges that fans of the game already know what’s going to happen storywise. But he insists they will get a lot more out of the show than they might expect.

“All I can tell you is you’re going to feel a lot,” Mazin enthused. “You’re going to be surprised, repeatedly. And you are also going to be comforted repeatedly by a kind of re-presentation of things that you love that are meaningful to you.”