Why was Season 2 of The Last of Us a letdown? Here's what creator Craig Mazin recently said

In Variety‘s A Night in the Writers’ Room, The Last of Us creator Craig Mazin acknowledged that Season 2 of the series was a letdown. Season 2 finale premiered on May 25, 2025, while the show has been renewed for a new Season 3, as per IMDb.

Mazin stated in the panel,

“You do feel pressure to somehow fulfil what people want, but also surprise them… 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."

Read on for more details of what exactly went wrong in The Last of Us season 2 and what Mazin said.

Here is what Craig Mazin, The Last of Us creator, said about the Season 2

In Variety‘s A Night in the Writers’ Room, the showrunner honestly admitted they got off track in Season 2 of The Last of Us. After the massive success of Season 1, which won 8 Emmy Awards and set a new standard for video game adaptations, the pressure on the creative team for Season 2 was immense. But after Season 2 ended, the reactions to the show were mixed. The audience score on Rotten Tomatoes dropped to just 37%. Many fans didn't like the show's direction, pacing, and some character arcs.

In a recent interview, Craig Mazin acknowledged the backlash and the lessons the creators learnt out of this. He says that Season 1 was made with fewer expectations and more creative freedom. The bar for the video game adaptation was low, therefore putting less pressure on them to do something extraordinary.

“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.”

In Season 2, the makers were learning lessons and were also feeling accountable for those lessons, but all of it went haywire.

“The second season comes with so many expectations... 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.”

With higher expectations, every misstep is more noticeable and less forgivable. He describes how difficult it is to both satisfy existing fans and still surprise them creatively.

What does Craig's statement mean for Season 3 of The Last of Us?

Joel’s brutal death early in Season 2 (Episode 2) is the emotional and narrative turning point. At the moment, Ellie is determined to take revenge, chasing Abby across a bleak, dystopian Seattle. While gamers familiar with The Last of Us Part II anticipated this storyline, non-gamers were left stunned by the direction, especially with Joel's death so soon.

Despite a 92% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, Season 2’s audience score plummeted to 37%, showing a major disconnect between critics and viewers. The showrunner's honesty in admitting the mistakes reflects how some creative choices divided the audience, and Season 2 didn't land the way it should have among the fans.

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Season 3 is now set to focus more heavily on Abby, a divisive character introduced as the main antagonist in Season 2. This mirrors the dual-protagonist structure of The Last of Us Part II, where players control both Ellie and Abby. The show may explore Abby’s motivations, regrets, and humanity, pushing audiences to see the “villain” in a new light.

Interestingly, the harsh fan reception may have taken off some of the pressure from the makers, making sure that Season 3 might have less to lose and hence giving more creative liberty as they wanted. However, the pressure to redeem the story is going to be real. To emotionally re-engage viewers and justify the choices made in Season 2 is going to be a difficult task for the makers.

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