Summary
- TLOU's season 2 showcases Ellie and Joel's compelling dynamic in a zombie-infested world on HBO.
- Raised by Wolves and Station Eleven offer post-apocalyptic narratives with religious and dystopian themes like TLOU.
- Game of Thrones and The Leftovers explore societal collapse and supernatural elements in ways reminiscent of TLOU.
The second season of HBO's The Last of Us continued telling the tale of Ellie and Joel's journey in a zombie-infested America. The zombie apocalypse show has evolved into HBO's flagship program, delivering captivating drama and intense sequences that strive to meet the high standards set by both The Last of Us games. The often stoic Joel and the enthusiastic Ellie's dynamic is one of the great duos in video games, with Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay pulling off tremendous performances in the live-action adaptation, carrying the show on their back.
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Was season 2 of The Last of Us a more faithful or less faithful adaptation than season 1?
With Season 2 coming to a close, TLOU fans in desperate need of compelling HBO drama to consume while they wait for Season 3 to arrive can look no further, as the network boasts a vast catalog of television that matches the standards set by TLOU.
7 Raised By Wolves
Dystopian Future That Sees Religious Factions Come To Prominence
Raised by Wolves
- Release Date
- 2020 - 2021
- Network
- HBO Max
- Showrunner
- Aaron Guzikowski
- Cast
- Travis Fimmel, Abubakar Salim, Felix Jamieson, Amanda Collin, Ivy Wong, Jordan Loughran, Niamh Algar, Aasiya Shah, Matias Varela, Winta McGrath, Ethan Hazzard
- Directors
- Ridley Scott
- Seasons
- 2
Sci-Fi gem Raised by Wolves may explore a foreign world, but its post-apocalyptic storytelling, set in a world where the Earth has been destroyed, mirrors aspects of TLOU, particularly in the continuation of human life after such earth-shattering events. After religious warfare on Earth obliterates the planet, humanity is rebuilt on Kepler-22b, where androids raise human children. However, religion and other nefarious factors cause the job to be tainted, as the children struggle to survive on the alien planet.
Like TLOU's religious group, the Scars, who appear in season 2, Raised by Wolves heavily features religion at the center of its narrative, telling an enticing story draped in familiar sci-fi tropes.
6 Station Eleven
Flu Wipes Out Much Of Humanity As Very Few Remain
- Network
- HBO Max
- Cast
- Mackenzie Davis, Himesh Patel, Matilda Lawler, David Wilmot, Nabhaan Rizwan, Daniel Zovatto, Philippine Velge, Lori Petty, David Cross, Enrico Colantoni, Joe Pingue, Dylan Taylor, Caitlin FitzGerald, Tattiawna Jones, Maddy Martin, Delia Lisette Chambers, Julian Obradors, Gael García Bernal, Timothy Simons, Tiya Sircar, Kylie Anderson, Omero Arreloa, Clark Backo, Jonathan Kim, Emma So
The post-apocalyptic drama Station Eleven certainly flew under the radar for many on HBO Max, with the limited series mirroring TLOU in its examination of a dystopian future featuring cults and characters with deep-rooted connections. After a deadly flu decimates the world's population, society attempts to rebuild, with a traveling performance troupe making the rounds, headlined by Kirsten Raymonde, a budding actress who reminisces about Arthur Leander, an essential figure in her life, who has connections to many prominent characters within Station Eleven.
Narratively, Station Eleven's non-linear approach frequently jumps between before the pandemic and the present, similar to TLOU, with its exploration of art, culture, and loss, all of which contribute to a fresh and in-depth story.
5 Years And Years
Downfall Of British Society Over A Fifteen-Year Span
- Cast
- Emma Thompson, Anne Reid, Rory Kinnear, Jessica Hynes, Russell Tovey, Ruth Madeley, T'Nia Miller, Lydia West, Jade Alleyne, Maxim Baldry, Glen McCready, Julia Sandiford, Mary Nightingale, Simon McCoy, Callum Woolford, Julie Peasgood, Reeta Chakrabarti
- Seasons
- 1
The British production Years and Years offered a fresh depiction of societal decline through the lens of a British family, as warfare, financial despair, and technological advancements rock the world. Following the Lyons family, six episodes tell the story of their lives throughout a 15-year period as society crumbles under the weight of war, political upheaval, and technological threats.
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For those eager to witness the slow-burning decline of society akin to TLOU's dystopian setting, Years and Years is a limited series that offers an original perspective on humanity's fall.
4 Watchmen
Vigilante Show Set In A Fractured World
- Network
- HBO
- Cast
- David Andrews, Junie Hoang, Lee Tergesen, Regina King, Wayne Pére, Dennis Nguyen, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Faye Yvette McQueen, Marissa Chanel Hampton, Mahdi Cocci, Steven G. Norfleet, Teresa Jade Wilson, Adelynn Spoon, Dajour Ashwood, Tiger Dawn, Ryan Hope Travis, Tim Peek, Denise Hillis, Jennii Vo Le, Philly Plowden, Phillip Trieu, Trey Butler, Jeremy Irons, Jean Smart, Tom Mison
- Creator(s)
- Damon Lindelof
The Watchmen franchise, popularized through Zack Snyder's cult classic movie adaptation, saw HBO choosing to deliver a one-season spectacle of Watchmen, based on the renowned DC Comics. In a world where masked vigilantes are heavily managed in society, Angela Abar, also known as Sister Night, is a vigilante detective who investigates a white supremacist group, uncovering many truths about a corrupt world.
Sharing similarities with TLOU through its sci-fi exploration of worlds that endure pain and suffering, as well as characters hiding their true identity and actions, Watchmen provides intense drama brimming with corruption and terror that very few shows have achieved.
3 Chernobyl
Nuclear Disaster In Ukraine That Changed The World
- Network
- HBO
- Cast
- Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård, Emily Watson, Paul Ritter, Jessie Buckley, Adam Nagaitis, Sam Troughton, Robert Emms, James Cosmo, Kieran O'Brien, Tomas Žaibus, Con O'Neill, Adrian Rawlins, Alan Williams, David Dencik, Mark Lewis Jones, Ralph Ineson, Barry Keoghan, Alex Ferns, Fares Fares, Michael McElhatton, Laura Elphinstone, Nadia Clifford, Sam Strike, Sammy Hayman
- Showrunner
- Craig Mazin
- Streaming Service(s)
- MAX
One of the most harrowing shows of all time is the miniseries Chernobyl, a biographical show detailing the real-life events of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine that altered the world dramatically. Masterminded by TLOU's showrunner, Craig Mazin, Chernobyl examines the nuclear explosion and the systematic failures that led to the disastrous accident, as well as the government officials, in an attempt to cover up an event that radically changed lives, particularly in Eastern Europe.
The apocalyptic and distressing feel of Chernobyl is unlike anything else ever depicted on television, with the show going on to become an awards darling, owing to its immense and visceral qualities that shook audiences upon release.
2 Game of Thrones
Epic World Full Of Magic And Politicking That Sees Ice Zombies Run Riot
Game Of Thrones
- Release Date
- 2011 - 2019-00-00
- Cast
- Kit Harington, Isaac Hempstead Wright, Iain Glen, Peter Dinklage, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Emilia Clarke, Maisie Williams, Sophie Turner, John Bradley, Lena Headey, Liam Cunningham, Aidan Gillen, Alfie Allen, Conleth Hill, Rory McCann, Jerome Flynn, Jacob Anderson, Kristofer Hivju, Gwendoline Christie, Nathalie Emmanuel, Carice Van Houten, Natalie Dormer, Stephen Dillane, Charles Dance, Charlotte Hope, Michelle Fairley, Jack Gleeson, Richard Madden, Hannah Murray, Sibel Kekilli, Julian Glover, Brenock O'Connor, Rose Leslie, Michael McElhatton
- Showrunner
- David Benioff, D.B. Weiss
- Seasons
- 8
- Story By
- George R.R. Martin
- Streaming Service(s)
- MAX
Game of Thrones was a behemoth of its time, bringing forth a fantasy world that went far beyond any other, offering truly enthralling drama to the highest level. Weaving magic alongside the politicking of royalty and noble houses, Game of Thrones sees characters vying for control and power, with betrayal, death, sex, and dragons taking center stage.
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However, like TLOU, Game of Thrones' use of wights in the Night King's army of the dead, eerily similar to zombies, and the memorable performances of Pascal and Ramsay as Oberyn Martell and Lyanna Mormont, respectively, see the shows undoubtedly overlap, offering some of HBO's finest entertainment.
1 The Leftovers
Part Of Humanity Disappears, Leaving The Rest Of Society To Pick Up The Pieces
- Cast
- Justin Theroux, Amy Brenneman, Christopher Eccleston, Liv Tyler, Chris Zylka, Margaret Qualley, Carrie Coon, Emily Meade, Amanda Warren, Ann Dowd, Michael Gaston, Max Carver
- Showrunner
- Damon Lindelof
- Seasons
- 3
- Streaming Service(s)
- MAX
Similar to the Thanos snap in the MCU, The Leftovers' premise of 2% of the world vanishing from Earth, leaving the rest of humanity to continue forth, offers a fascinating story that many overlooked while airing. From the mind of television visionary Damon Lindelof, The Leftovers explores themes of loss and grief, with different characters and families each learning to cope with their sudden loss in their own way.
Akin to TLOU, a world-changing event dramatically alters humanity and its trajectory, as The Leftovers' three-season run saw it become an underappreciated HBO gem.
The Last of Us
- Release Date
- January 15, 2023
- Cast
- Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, John Hannah, Josh Brener, Christopher Heyerdahl, Brad Leland, Marcia Bennett, Brendan Fletcher, Jerry Wasserman, Wendy Gorling, Jessica Belbin, Haysam Kadri, Sarah Himadeh, Caitlin Howden, Max Montesi, Natasha Mumba, Gina Louise Phillips, Taylor St. Pierre, Ryan D. Clarke, Khadijah Roberts-Abdullah, Logan Pierce, Corina Akeson, Jason Burkart, Andrea Greening, Arran Henn
- Streaming Service(s)
- MAX
