HBO's TV show "The Last of Us," based on the Naughty Dog game, was pretty great; it seemed to faithfully reproduce everything that made "TLOU" a video game classic, while adding fresh touches and considerations. For example, Episode 3 had the tidy benefit of improving his story while the reappearance of the trapped hermit Bill added weight and dramatic irony to Joel's tale. Also, the fact that Nick Offerman was in the film is a gold star in my book.

So I am quite excited about the second season, which just released its first trailer as part of the "Coming to Max in 2024-2025" teaser (starting around 1:16). I'm going to give moderate spoilers about the first few hours of "The Last of Us Part 2" and the season itself that it replaces.

The trailer opens with the back of Ellie's head and a dance scene that is almost verbatim from The Last of Us Part 2. So far so faithful, but Catherine O'Hara appears next.

For those who don't know, Emmy Award-winning actress Catherine O'Hara is one of the new additions I mentioned; first announced in February to play an "unannounced" role, O'Hara is known primarily for her comedic work, including "Shits Creek."

At first glance, her "unreleased role" appears to be that of Jackson's therapist, because she appears very polite and proper. Jackson is the only place Joel visits that fits the bill.

However, as some astute observers have pointed out, Joel's response to O'Hara's character ("I saved her") is actually taken from his confession to Tommy in the game.

We also get a glimpse of Abby. She is seen crawling under a fence under the weight of a horde of infected, a set piece taken from the game. As the episode progresses, nothing more stressful will happen to her. Hopefully it's a happy ending, but try not to think about Seraphite (who also makes an appearance here).

HBO's "The Last of Us" seems to have started with the intention of carrying it on. In this trailer, as in the first season, many of the scenes are faithfully recreated from the game, altered just enough to make them worth watching. Besides, the first season was second only to "House of Dragons" in popularity, so it would be shocking if the time for a Prestige TV re-movie never comes.