HBO’s The Last Of Us Showrunner Craig Mazin Says ‘There’s No Way To Complete This Narrative In A Third Season’

<p><img loading=”lazy” src=”https://www.gameinformer.com/sites/default/files/styles/body_default/public/2025/03/24/5b58ae50/craig-mazin-neil-druckmann.jpg” width=”800″ height=”533″ alt=”HBO's The Last of Us Part II Season 2 Naughty Dog PlayStation Neil Druckmann” typeof=”foaf:Image” class=”image-style-body-default” /></p>

  <p>The second season of HBO’s The Last of Us ends this coming Sunday with a finale that seemingly tees up a confrontation we’ve been waiting for all season. However, it’s clear season two will leave us with a lot of story left when it’s over. While many fans predicted that a third season, which has already been greenlit, could finish the story, showrunner Craig Mazin alludes to needing a fourth season to wrap up the events of The Last of Us Part II.</p><p>In a new interview with <a href="https://collider.com/the-last-of-us-series-length-season-3-showrunner-craig-mazin/"><em>Collider</em></a>, Mazin explains, “there’s no way to complete this narrative in a third season” when asked about a theoretical fourth season.</p><iframe width="560" height="315" frameBorder="0"  width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QtmC_0dTaKk" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay" allowfullscreen="true"> </iframe><p class="text-align-center"><strong>Spoilers For Season Two Of HBO's The Last Of Us</strong></p><p>“I think there’s a decent chance Season 3 will be longer than Season 2, just because the manner of that narrative and the opportunities it affords us are a little different,” Mazin, who is also a director and writer on the show, told <em>Collider</em>. “The thing about Joel’s death is that it’s so impactful. It’s such a narrative nuclear bomb that it’s hard to wander away from it. We can’t really take a break and move off to the side and do a Bill and Frank story.</p><p>“I’m not sure that will be necessarily true for Season 3. I think we’ll have a little more room there. But certainly, there’s no way to complete this narrative in a third season. Hopefully, we’ll earn our keep enough to come back and finish it in a fourth. That’s the likely outcome.”</p><p>Though it seems like Mazin and the team behind the show are still waiting to see if a fourth season will be greenlit, which likely depends on the reception of season three, it’s clear he believes a fourth season is needed to finish the story of <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com/review/the-last-of-us-part-ii/the-last-of-us-part-ii-review-a-perfect-circle">The Last of Us Part II</a>. It also sounds like we can expect a Bill and Frank-style episode in season three.</p><p>Regardless, this theoretical fourth season is years away. In the meantime, read about <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com/exclusive-feature/2025/05/11/equal-parts-boring-and-intense-visiting-the-set-of-the-last-of-us"><em>Game Informer’s</em> boring but tense set visit to HBO’s The Last of Us</a>, and then read <a href="https://www.gameinformer.com/exclusive/2025/03/26/naughty-dogs-neil-druckmann-on-the-creative-process-behind-season-2-of-the"><em>Game Informer’s </em>exclusive interview with Neil Druckmann about season two</a>.</p><p><em>Is a fourth season necessary to complete the story? Let us know in the comments below!</em></p>

Source: Game Informer