The Last of Us Season 3 will take longer than expected to come

Ellie and Abby's story of vengeance ended on a devastating cliffhanger and a preview of what The Last of Us Season 3 will be about, leaving fans eagerly waiting for the next season. However, in disappointing news for viewers, the third season of the HBO breakout show will take much longer than expected to make it to our screens.

One would expect that HBO would be prepared for back-to-back production in order to keep the momentum going. However, it appears as if The Last of Us Season 3 could be delayed well into 2027. Here's what we know.

The Last of Us Season 3 might be released later than expected

The Last of Us Season 3 will be shifting its focus from Ellie to Abby, as Ellie came to Seattle at a time when the WLF, a militant group that Abby is a part of, and their enemies, the Seraphites, are inching towards an all-out war. It doesn't take Ellie long to figure out that she was in way over her head, but this doesn't stop her on her crusade against Abby, leading to the circle of vengeance continuing as she kills Abby's friends.

In the final scenes of Season 2, Abby tracks Ellie down, and she holds her at gunpoint after having killed Jessie. When the screen goes black, a time jump three days back occurs, where we started out in the first place. However, this time around, we're going to be seeing things from Abby's perspective on the WLF campus.

This information was not a shock for viewers who've played The Last of Us Part II, where the player shifts from Ellie to Abby at this moment. However, this does come as a disappointment to many fans, considering how long the HBO show takes before releasing new seasons. The fact that the next season, for which fans will have to wait for a considerable amount of time, is also going to be from the perspective of the character who is responsible for Joel's death is not sitting well with fans of the show.

When the show was renewed for a second season in 2023, production began well into 2024, and the show premiered in April 2025. There was an extra year-long delay between the announcement and production starting, mainly because of the industry-wide SAG-AFTRA strikes. However, despite the strikes, The Last of Us took an extremely long time for the show to premiere. According to Isabel Merced's conversation with Variety, production for Season 3 might not begin until 2026, which would mean that the show wouldn't premiere until late 2026 or 2027.

This is disappointing for fans, but more than that, it could be harmful for the show as well. The Last of Us Season 2 finale viewership has recorded a 55% decline compared to the Season 1 finale viewership. If Season 3 imposes a much longer delay, it could lead to the show losing even more viewership.

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