Viewers who tuned into the highly anticipated premiere of The Last Of Us season two are all saying the same thing about the show's casting.
The popular post-apocalyptic series, which is an adaptation of the 2013 PlayStation video game, follows survivor Joel (Pedro Pascal), who is tasked with escorting teenager Ellie (Bella Ramsey) across America, which has become overrun with zombies following a fungus outbreak.
© HBO/Warner MediaThe second season picks up five years after the events of series one and finds Joel and Ellie settled in a community in Jackson while a tense rift between the once-close pair grows.
It's safe to say the first episode went down a storm with viewers, who praised the "incredible" episode on social media. One person wrote: "#TheLastOfUs is back. A slow, calm and emotional episode that gets us right back into this amazing world," while another added: "I loved episode so much I'm watching it again. #TheLastOfUs this season is going to be peak television."
© © 2025 Home Box Office, Inc.Other fans commented on the "brilliant" casting of Ellie's romantic interest, Dina, who is played by Isabela Merced.
One viewer wrote: "#TheLastOfUs Season 2 is off to an incredible start. This show is so fantastic. Absolutely love everything about it. And Isabela Merced is perfect casting as Dina, she stole the episode for me," while another agreed, adding: "Isabela absolutely matched Dina's personality. BRILLIANT CASTING."
A third fan remarked: "I love Isabela Merced - so no bias, but I think she's the perfect casting choice for Dina."
What is The Last Of Us season 2 about?
The new series takes place five years after Joel's massacre of the Fireflies and finds him and Ellie settling into a semi-normal life in Jackson, Wyoming, while the apocalypse rages on.
The synopsis reads: "After five years of peace following the events of the first season, Joel and Ellie's collective past catches up to them, drawing them into conflict with each other and a world even more dangerous and unpredictable than the one they left behind."
Who stars in The Last of Us season 2?
Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey lead the cast as Joel and Ellie.
They're joined by a star-studded line-up of A-listers, including Kaitlyn Dever (Apple Cider Vinegar, Dopesick) as surviving Firefly Abby and Catherine O'Hara (Schitt's Creek, Beetlejuice) as therapist Gail.
© © 2025 Home Box Office, Inc.Meanwhile, Isabela Merced (Madame Web, Alien: Romulusas) plays Dina, alongside Young Mazino (Beef, Blue Bloods) as Dina's ex-boyfriend Jesse, Spencer Lord (Riverdale, The Good Doctor) as Abby's friend, Owen, and Robert John Burke (Gossip Girl, Law & Order: SVU) as the town's bar owner, Seth.
Reprising their roles from season one are Gabriel Luna as Tommy and Rutina Wesley as Maria.
The Last Of Us episode release schedule
New episodes of The Last of Us will air weekly on Mondays on NOW and Sky Atlantic in the UK and on Sundays in the US on Max and HBO.
© © 2025 Home Box Office, Inc.UK fans can expect the next episode to drop on Monday, 21 April, while viewers across the pond can tune in from Sunday, 20 April.
The Last of Us is available to watch on NOW and Sky.
