• Network: HBO
  • Series Premiere Date: Jan 15, 2023
Season #: 2, 1
Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 44 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 44
  2. Negative: 0 out of 44

Critic Reviews

  1. Reviewed by: Inkoo Kang
    Apr 22, 2025
    60
    Though Season 2 gives these individual dynamics more room to breathe, it ends up feeling smaller than its predecessor over all. A subplot involving Ellie’s crush on the flatly written Dina (Isabela Merced) soon descends into melodrama, and the narrative detours and beguiling world-building that once lent the show such poignancy and unpredictability are replaced by a relentless hammering-home of rudimentary lessons about the perils of revenge.
  2. Reviewed by: Barbara Ellen
    Apr 21, 2025
    60
    It’s all a bit auto-dystopia, even sluggish. Still, in the last series, a brilliantly evocative third episode featuring Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett got the engines sparking. I’m keeping the faith that the mushroom apocalypse will deliver again.
  3. Reviewed by: Lili Loofbourow
    Apr 14, 2025
    60
    “The Last of Us” tenderly unpacks the way that need for purpose becomes a problem, but this isn’t a perfect season. It doesn’t really feel like a season; so much remains shadowy, undeveloped or underexplained that the finale feels like it stops more than it concludes.
  4. Reviewed by: Richard Lawson
    Apr 8, 2025
    60
    Suspense and intrigue abound, but the new run of episodes feels too much like a mere dystopian survival adventure. Much of the grace, nuance, and texture of The Last of Us’s first go-round is missing.
  5. Reviewed by: Meghan O'Keefe
    Apr 7, 2025
    60
    The Last of Us Season 2 is a mixed bag, full of gorgeous craftsmanship, from riveting turns from celebrity guest stars to carefully-concocted faux fungus. However, it ultimately feels a bit unsure of its own reason for being.
  6. Reviewed by: Judy Berman
    Apr 7, 2025
    50
    This follow up is oddly workmanlike. .... To pretend that The Last of Us completely transcends its original medium would be to ignore the hole at the center of the show where insight and complexity and rich supporting characters should be. What fill out the episodes instead are extended zombie-battle scenes and long, silent sequences where people explore gorgeously decaying spaces. At those moments, you might as well be watching someone play a video game.