The Last of Us showrunner/co-creator Craig Mazin discussed the new challenges they faced and the lessons they learned with season 2, which received a divisive response from fans. After The Last of Us season 1 set a new standard for video game adaptations, winning 8 Emmy Awards in 2023, the expectations for The Last of Us season 2 were sky-high. Following The Last of Us season 2 finale, which was released by HBO on May 25, 2025, many viewers expressed their discouragement with the quality and direction of season 2 at large, which earned a 37% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Per Variety, Mazin touches on the pressure of The Last of Us season 2 being much greater after season 1 significantly raised the bar. Mazin, who co-hosts the popular screenwriting podcast “Scriptnotes”, admits that mistakes were made and lessons were learned with The Last of Us season 2, echoing what has become a very common viewer consensus. Mazin’s comments reveal that the pressure of following up the groundbreaking first season was very much felt when developing season 2. He also reflects on how much less pressure there was in making season 1 before the show became a massive success.

There’s this thing that happens when you’re making the first season of something where you truly are just rolling down a hill on fire. If you stay alive, that’s a huge achievement. If a show comes out, that’s amazing,” Mazin said. “The second season comes with so many expectations, and we did learn a lot of lessons. And the problem with learning lessons is then you have to be accountable to those lessons. And you’re not allowed to make those mistakes anymore, which is tragic. You do feel pressure to somehow fulfill what people want but also surprise them. You’re now a topic of discussion, whereas before you were just new and surprising. I mean, the bar for video game adaptations was pretty low. We had that going for us in Season 1 — now we kind of f**ked ourselves.

What Craig Mazin’s Comments Mean For The Last Of Us Season 3

There May Be Even More Pressure To Turn The Series Back Around

The Last of Us season 2’s ending sets up how season 3 will play out, with the series villain Abby set to take the spotlight throughout. After Joel’s brutal death in the second episode of The Last of Us season 2, Ellie becomes set on avenging him, traveling to a dystopian version of Seattle to confront Abby and make her pay.

Those who played both of The Last of Us video games already know what to expect, but non-gamers still must wait months, if not years, for the series to return. With season 2 receiving an overwhelming amount of backlash, Mazin’s comments saying he and his co-creators “f**ked ourselves” sum up the current state of the show.

Mazin is demonstrating some accountability with his candid statements about The Last of Us season 2’s flop, even though it still earned a 92% Rotten Tomatoes critic score. While the specific fan disappointments range from casting to creative choices, Mazin acknowledges that there’s no going back, and there’s especially no way of bringing Joel back to life. This could end up placing even more pressure on pulling off a successful third season of The Last of Us. On the other hand, now that the bar’s been lowered, proven by a notable drop in viewership throughout season 2, there may not be much left to lose.

Our Take On The Last Of Us Season 2’s “Lessons” Comments

Mazin & His Team Can Bring The Last Of Us Back To Glory

Mazin’s candid comments indicate that he and his creative team are not necessarily defending all points of criticism against season 2, even though he cheekily points out that Pedro Pascal is still “alive and is in literally everything else.“

While season 2’s reception is disappointing, Mazin shows that he is willing to identify mistakes and learn from lessons to create a more satisfying product in season 3. This is exactly the right mindset for Mazin to have, allowing the series to still finish off strong if it were to end in three seasons. With rumors swirling about a potential third video game, The Last of Us still has enough franchise potential to pick itself up and change course.