Well, well, well. When HBO announced that The Last of Us season 2 would premiere in April 2024 following the conclusion of The White Lotus season 3, they underestimated the fans' ability to do some quick math to figure out the exact premiere date. At the time, we suggested three potential Sundays in April post-White Lotus and the most likely has ended up the winner.
The Last of Us season 2 makes its premiere on both HBO and Max on Sunday, April 13 at 9 p.m. ET. That's exactly when we predicted the season would be back, which is the following Sunday night after The White Lotus season 3 finale on April 6. If you're a fan of both shows, and I suspected a lot of us are, we're being spoiled by HBO. No Sundays without great shows!
Along with the confirmation of the April 13 premiere date, HBO also unveiled character posters for Joel (Pedro Pascal), Ellie (Bella Ramsey), and Abby (Kaitlyn Dever). Each of the posters have a symbolic Easter egg, as all three characters are standing on something important: Joel on the watch his daughter gave him, Ellie on a guitar, and Abby on the Firefly symbol. Interesting... (Check them out below!)
The Last of Us season 2 premieres on April 13
It's safe to say that after The White Lotus season 3, The Last of Us season 2 was the most highly anticipated HBO show to return in 2025. Over two years have elapsed since the series premiered in January 2023 and became a smash hit. Thankfully, it's only been a year for us. Season 2 picks up five years after season 1. Imagine if we had to wait that long in real time.
Even though the show has a five-year time jump, there's still plenty of loose ends to tie up from the season 1 finale, especially after Joel didn't tell Ellie the truth about what he did to Marlene. Joel and Ellie return in season 2 with their relationship not quite as tight as it once was. But hey, nothing's going to be all sunshine and roses when you're trying to survive in a zombie apocalypse.
Check out the season 2 synopsis via HBO's press release:
"Five years after the events of the first season, Joel and Ellie are drawn into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind."
The second season will also have more love in terms of the cast. In addition to Pascal, Ramsey, and Dever, Gabriel Luna and Rutina Wesley have been confirmed to reprise their roles as Tommy and Maria. The cast has also gained Isabela Merced as Dina, Young Mazino as Jesse, Ariela Barer as Mel, Tati Gabrielle as Nora, Spencer Lord as Owen, Danny Ramirez as Manny, Jeffrey Wright as Isaac, and Catherine O'Hara as a character whose name hasn't been confirmed ahead of the premiere.
The Last of Us season 2 contains seven episodes, down two from the first season's nine episodes. Sure, it's a shorted order, but season 3 has already been put into development, so we know more is coming. Since we managed to accurately guess when season 2 would premiere in April, we can also count the weeks ahead to surmise the season finale will air on Sunday, May 25.
Take a closer look at the season 2 character posters below!
The Last of Us season 2 premieres Sunday, April 13 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max.