The Final of Us showrunner/co-creator Craig Mazin mentioned the brand new challenges they confronted and the teachings they realized with season 2, which obtained a divisive response from followers. After The Final of Us season 1 set a brand new commonplace for online game diversifications, successful 8 Emmy Awards in 2023, the expectations for The Final of Us season 2 had been sky-high. Following The Final of Us season 2 finale, which was launched by HBO on Could 25, 2025, many viewers expressed their discouragement with the standard and route of season 2 at massive, which earned a 37% viewers rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Per Selection, Mazin touches on the strain of The Final of Us season 2 being a lot larger after season 1 considerably raised the bar. Mazin, who co-hosts the favored screenwriting podcast “Scriptnotes”, admits that errors had been made and classes had been realized with The Final of Us season 2, echoing what has grow to be a quite common viewer consensus. Mazin’s feedback reveal that the strain of following up the groundbreaking first season was very a lot felt when creating season 2. He additionally displays on how a lot much less strain there was in making season 1 earlier than the present turned a large success.
There’s this factor that occurs if you’re making the primary season of one thing the place you really are simply rolling down a hill on hearth. In case you keep alive, that’s an enormous achievement. If a present comes out, that’s superb,” Mazin mentioned. “The second season comes with so many expectations, and we did study quite a lot of classes. And the issue with studying classes is then it’s a must to be accountable to these classes. And also you’re not allowed to make these errors anymore, which is tragic. You do really feel strain to in some way fulfill what folks need but in addition shock them. You’re now a subject of debate, whereas earlier than you had been simply new and shocking. I imply, the bar for online game diversifications was fairly low. We had that going for us in Season 1 — now we type of f**ked ourselves.
There Could Be Even Extra Strain To Flip The Collection Again Round
The Final of Us season 2’s ending units up how season 3 will play out, with the collection villain Abby set to take the highlight all through. After Joel’s brutal demise within the second episode of The Final of Us season 2, Ellie turns into set on avenging him, touring to a dystopian model of Seattle to confront Abby and make her pay.
Mazin’s feedback saying he and his co-creators “f**ked ourselves” sum up the present state of the present.
Those that performed each of The Final of Us video video games already know what to anticipate, however non-gamers nonetheless should wait months, if not years, for the collection to return. With season 2 receiving an amazing quantity of backlash, Mazin’s feedback saying he and his co-creators “f**ked ourselves” sum up the present state of the present.
Associated
I am Excited For Abby’s Story In The Final Of Us Season 3, However The Present Should not Have Adopted The Sport’s Construction
The Final of Us season 3 is about to observe Abby throughout her time in Seattle, which follows the sport construction, however is that the correct transfer for the present?
Mazin is demonstrating some accountability together with his candid statements about The Final of Us season 2’s flop, though it nonetheless earned a 92% Rotten Tomatoes critic rating. Whereas the particular fan disappointments vary from casting to inventive decisions, Mazin acknowledges that there is not any going again, and there is particularly no manner of bringing Joel again to life. This might find yourself putting much more strain on pulling off a profitable third season of The Final of Us. However, now that the bar’s been lowered, confirmed by a notable drop in viewership all through season 2, there is probably not a lot left to lose.
Mazin & His Crew Can Carry The Final Of Us Again To Glory
Mazin’s candid feedback point out that he and his inventive group will not be essentially defending all factors of criticism in opposition to season 2, though he cheekily factors out that Pedro Pascal remains to be “alive and is in actually every thing else.“
With rumors swirling a few potential third online game, The Final of Us nonetheless has sufficient franchise potential to select itself up and alter course.
Whereas season 2’s reception is disappointing, Mazin reveals that he’s prepared to determine errors and study from classes to create a extra satisfying product in season 3. That is precisely the correct mindset for Mazin to have, permitting the collection to nonetheless end off robust if it had been to finish in three seasons. With rumors swirling a few potential third online game, The Final of Us nonetheless has sufficient franchise potential to select itself up and alter course.
The Final Of Us
8/10
- Launch Date
-
January 15, 2023
- Community
-
HBO
- Showrunner
-
Craig Mazin
- Administrators
-
Craig Mazin, Peter Hoar, Jeremy Webb, Ali Abbasi, Mark Mylod, Stephen Williams, Jasmila Žbanić, Liza Johnson, Nina Lopez-Corrado
- Writers
-
Neil Druckmann, Craig Mazin