Capturing the three-dimensional characters and deeply immersive storytelling of its iconic source material, The Last of Us has been praised as the greatest video game adaptation ever made and one of the best TV shows of the year. HBO has started submitting episodes of The Last of Us for Emmy consideration. The nominations for the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards are set to be announced on July 12 ahead of the September 18 ceremony. Along with fellow TV hits like Ted Lasso and Succession, The Last of Us is expected to pick up more than a few nominations at the next Emmys ceremony. But which specific award categories does The Last of Us deserve nominations for?
Outstanding Writing For A Drama Series – Craig Mazin & Neil Druckmann For "When You're Lost In The Darkness"
Every episode of The Last of Us has an incredible script and could be a strong contender for a writing Emmy. But the premiere episode, “When You’re Lost in the Darkness,” written by Craig Mazin and Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann, is particularly impressive, because it’s burdened with the most storytelling. The pilot episode has to introduce Joel, the Cordyceps outbreak, the death of Sarah, the state of the world (and the state of Joel’s mind) 20 years later, his relationship with Tess, his relationship with Ellie, and their mission to get across the mutant-infested wasteland to turn Ellie’s immunity into a cure. “When You’re Lost in the Darkness” gets through all that information without ever feeling like it’s dumping exposition on the audience. The chilling opening talk show sequence sets the tone for the series perfectly. Mazin and Druckmann’s pilot script conveys a lot of the character development visually, like showing how far gone Joel is after the 20-year time jump by having him callously toss the corpse of a child who could easily be Sarah onto a fire. It’s as close to a perfect pilot as any series has had.
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series – Pedro Pascal
Pedro Pascal has more than earned an Emmy nod with his hard-hitting performance as Joel in The Last of Us. Pascal didn’t just do an impression of Troy Baker’s iconic portrayal of Joel; he made the character his own, amplifying his anxiety and rage without losing any of the nuances. Throughout the show’s first season, Pascal makes the audience believe every emotional turn in Joel’s journey. When he cradles Sarah’s corpse, the pain and anguish of a grieving father come through. When he has a panic attack, the fear and dread of making another mistake hit the viewer as suddenly as it hits Joel. When he massacres the Fireflies to save Ellie in the season finale, the blank stare in his eyes conveys the disassociation and inhumanity of the act. Pascal’s powerful performance is truly award-worthy.
Outstanding Directing For A Drama Series – Peter Hoar For "Long, Long Time"
There isn’t a single episode of The Last of Us with bad or even subpar direction. Every director struck the perfect tonal balance of gory, intense horror and beautiful, character-driven drama while putting their own artistic stamp on the series. But the standout episode of the season was “Long, Long Time,” directed by Peter Hoar. This Bill and Frank-centric installment is more like a standalone movie than an episode of television. “Long, Long Time” works beautifully on its own terms as a love story that flits between heartwarming and heartbreaking. Hoar told Variety that, as a middle-aged gay man, he felt a personal connection to Bill and Frank’s story. The director got a pair of performances out of Nick Offerman and Murray Bartlett that will surely go down as career highlights. Offerman and Bartlett are fully convincing as a couple in love, from their early romantic days to their midlife bickering to their final moments as they die in each other’s arms. “Long, Long Time” managed to tell the highs and lows of a touching, complex, 20-year romance in a tearjerking 75 minutes.
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series – Bella Ramsey
Like Pascal, Bella Ramsey didn’t just do a shallow impersonation of their predecessor’s performance. Ramsey’s turn as Ellie is just as moving and hilarious and captivating as Ashley Johnson’s, but their take on the role is completely their own. Ramsey nailed the character’s biting, sardonic wit, with spot-on comic timing in every profane one-liner, but they also nailed the deeper, darker, more dramatic turns. Ramsey’s portrayal of Ellie transcended from a great performance to a truly exceptional performance in the penultimate episode, “When We Are in Need,” when Ellie’s torture at the hands of sadistic preacher David drove her to hack him to death with a meat cleaver. The trauma felt hauntingly real, both in the immediate aftermath as she dealt with the shock and in the following weeks as she became quieter and more closed-off. With their performance as Ellie, Ramsey could become one of the youngest Emmy winners of all time.
Outstanding Drama Series
The Last of Us deserves Emmys in just about every category – acting, writing, directing, cinematography, music, editing, production design – but the nomination it deserves above all, because all those departments work in harmony to create a perfect TV show, is Outstanding Drama Series. Each episode tells its own individual story with even pacing and well-rounded one-off characters. But, as a whole, the series charts the beautiful father-daughter dynamic that develops between Joel and Ellie over the course of this treacherous journey. The dramatic scenes are touching, the horror sequences are suitably intense, and the perfectly timed comedic moments provide some much-needed levity. If any show was a shoo-in for an Outstanding Drama Series nod at the Emmys, it’s The Last of Us.