Here's the full release schedule for The Last of Us on HBO Max. We'll adjust this if the company announces any changes or breaks. New episodes will arrive at 6 p.m. PT (9 p.m. ET), which you might remember as the time slot occupied by House of the Dragon last year.
Episode 1 Episode 2
I wish they hadn't wrapped up the Campano kidnapping case so soon and had let it breathe for a longer arc. Karin Slaughter covered the kidnapping arc in the entire second book of the series, "Fractured." It needed at least a few more episodes.
The second episode of the Yellowstone prequel 1923 picks up right where the premiere left off, with Spencer Dutton (Brandon Sklenar) about to become a leopard's late-night snack. During a fast-paced, dimly lit scene punctuated by screams, growls, and gunshots, the hunter is able to down the beast, but not before sustaining a few gangrene-inviting injuries. Sadly his friend and guide is not so lucky, dying soon after the animal brutally attacks him.
The episode closes with another lengthy stretch in Africa, where Spencer is still drinking heavily, this time at a hotel bar. A British woman named Alexandra and her friends approach him and quickly identify him as "the American war hero who kills the man-eaters." Alexandra is clearly growing fond of Spencer, so her fawning friends remind her that she's engaged and whisk her away.
Nate recovers from his beating in the hospital and refuses to tell his father who attacked him. He finds himself strongly attracted to Cassie, who has been undergoing a depressive episode since her abortion and feels uneasy without a boyfriend. Cassie continues to see Nate, knowing that she may ruin her friendship with Maddy by doing so. As the spring semester starts, Jules becomes insecure about Rue's friendship with Elliot, unaware that the two are regularly taking drugs together. Kat begins losing interest in Ethan, fantasizing about more stereotypically masculine men and briefly becoming consumed by an online culture of toxic positivity. Cal begins investigating Nate's assault and pressures Cassie into naming Fezco as the perpetrator; when Lexi decides to visit Fezco and get his attention, she gets caught up in a tense standoff between him and Cal. Cal then confronts Nate, who reveals that he is aware of Cal's secret sexual exploits, including the video of him and Jules. Nervously, Cal asks for the tape; Nate smiles in response.
Euphoria is a co-production of The Reasonable Bunch, A24, Little Lamb, DreamCrew, and HBO Entertainment.[34] It has 16 executive producers, including Levinson, Leshem, Levin, Yardeni, Hadas Mozes Lichtenstein, Mirit Toovi, Yoram Mokadi, Gary Lennon, Zendaya, Canadian rapper Drake, Future the Prince, Ravi Nandan, and Kevin Turen.[33][35][36] The pilot episode, "Pilot", was directed by Augustine Frizzell.[37]
Levinson has served as Euphoria's showrunner since its premiere, and has written every episode.[36] He has directed every episode except the Pilot and the season one episodes "03 Bonnie and Clyde" and "The Next Episode",[37][38] which were directed by Jennifer Morrison and Pippa Bianco. Zendaya will probably direct the third season's episode.[39]
Before the series' second season, HBO ordered two specials. The first, "Trouble Don't Last Always", premiered on December 6, 2020, and follows Rue as she deals with the aftermath of leaving Jules at the train station and relapsing.[49] The second, "Fuck Anyone Who's Not a Sea Blob", premiered on January 24, 2021, and follows Jules's side of the story.[50] The second episode was co-written and executive produced by Levinson and Hunter Schafer.[51] HBO announced that the special episodes would air two days early on HBO Max.[52]
In April 2020, Kelvin Harrison Jr. joined the cast, but by May 2021, he had dropped out due to scheduling conflicts as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[60][61] In August, Dominic Fike, Minka Kelly, and Demetrius 'Lil Meech' Flenory Jr. were added to the cast.[62] On February 22, 2022, it was announced that Smith had quit the series after starring in two episodes of season 2.[63] On August 24, 2022, Ferreira announced via Instagram story that she had decided to leave the series.[64]
Many of the episode titles for season one are references to late-1990s and early-2000s song titles that correlate to the episode itself. For instance, "'03 Bonnie and Clyde" is a reference to the 2002 Jay-Z and Beyoncé song of the same name. The loyal relationship between Nate Jacobs and Maddy Perez in the episode mirrors that between Jay-Z and Beyoncé in the song.[69][6] For season two, many of the episode titles are references to books and quotes.
Levinson acknowledged the controversies over the series' content, saying that some parents will be "totally fucking freaked out".[79] Augustine Frizzell, who directed the series' pilot episode, said that the explicit content should help foster a conversation between parents and teenagers.[80] Levinson also said that he hopes the series "opens up a dialogue" due to the "disconnect between parents and teenagers".[81] Zendaya issued a warning both before the series and season 2 premiere about its "deeply emotional subject matter".[82] HBO voiced objections to some sexually graphic scenes, but said it would not interfere with the series' "creative process".[79] The series includes viewer discretion warnings and a website for mental health and other support group resources.[83][84] The series has reportedly been censored for sexual or violent content in countries like Malaysia,[85] the Philippines,[86] Singapore,[87] and Vietnam.
The first of the series' two special episodes, "Trouble Don't Last Always", received widespread critical acclaim for its writing, performances, and shift in tone and content from the first season. On Rotten Tomatoes, the episode has a score of 97%, with an average rating of 8.44/10 based on 23 critical reviews. The website's critical consensus reads, "Euphoria slows down the tempo without losing the beat in a special episode that pairs a raw Zendaya with a steady Colman Domingo to create small screen magic."[102] On Metacritic, the episode has a weighted average score of 84 out of 100, based on 10 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[103]
The second of the two special episodes, "Fuck Anyone Who's Not a Sea Blob", also received critical acclaim, with particular praise for Schafer's performance and writing, as well as the episode's distinctive directorial approach, emotional resonance, and exploration of trans identity. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has a score of 96%, with an average rating of 7.9/10 based on 22 critical reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "By centering on Jules' journey, Fuck Anyone Who's Not a Sea Blob adds welcome depth to her character and gives Hunter Schafer plenty of room to shine."[104] On Metacritic, the episode has an average weighted score of 78 out of 100, based on 10 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[105]
The series also makes extensive[170] use of popular music, including hip hop, trap, R&B, experimental, indie rock, standards and doo-wop, with some episodes featuring over 20 songs.[171][172] For their work on Euphoria's first season, music supervisors Jen Malone (who also supervises the FX series Atlanta) and Adam Leber won the 2020 Guild of Music Supervisors Award for Best Music Supervision in a Television Drama.[173]
The first season, consisting of eight episodes, was released on Netflix on December 20, 2019. It was based on The Last Wish and Sword of Destiny, which are collections of short stories that precede the main The Witcher saga. The second season, also consisting of eight episodes and based on the novel Blood of Elves, released on December 17, 2021. In September 2021, Netflix renewed the series for a third season, which will be released in mid-2023. This will be followed by a fourth season, with Liam Hemsworth taking over the role of Geralt of Rivia.
In December 2017, it was reported that Lauren Schmidt Hissrich would serve as showrunner on the show.[20] In April 2018, Schmidt Hissrich revealed that the script for the pilot episode was finished, and the first season would be eight episodes long.[21] In 2017, it was reported that Andrzej Sapkowski would serve as a creative consultant on the show, but in January 2018, Sapkowski denied any direct involvement.[22] However, he met with Schmidt Hissrich in April 2018[23][24] and in May 2018 she stated that Sapkowski was on the creative team of the project.[25] In August, Andrew Laws was revealed as production designer.[26] In December, Radio Times reported directors Alik Sakharov and Charlotte Brändström had joined the project.[27]
In March 2019, production commenced on Gran Canaria, in the Canary Islands, Spain. Some scenes were to be shot on the islands of La Palma and La Gomera, as well.[59] Scenes of the Sorcerers' Aretuza Academy (Tower of the Gull) were shot on Roque de Santo Domingo in Garafía, an islet, and enhanced with CGI. The interiors, however, used for the graduation ball were at the Kiscelli Museum in Óbuda. The museum was a monastery in the 18th century. This location was also used for the conclave of the Northern Mages. The Barranco de Fataga area on Gran Canaria island was used for some scenes of arid landscapes. Scenes of Ciri traveling in the desert were filmed in the Natural Dune Reserve of Maspalomas on Gran Canaria. Most of episode six was filmed on La Palma island.[60]
Filming of the first season concluded in Ogrodzieniec Castle in Poland. The ruins of this medieval castle, dating from the 1300s, were the backdrop for scenes including the fictional Vilgefortz of Roggeveen and Triss Merigold. The ruins were also included when shooting the Battle of Sodden Hill in the final episode of Season 1.[60][61] Filming for the first season wrapped in May 2019.[62]
Sonya Belousova and Giona Ostinelli composed the soundtrack for the first season. The duo collaborated with several soloists and artists; the soundtrack features many medieval instruments to match the medieval-inspired setting of the series.[76] More than 60 different instruments from around the world were used to create the soundtrack.[77][78] The original song "Toss a Coin to Your Witcher", composed by Belousova and Ostinelli and sung by Batey in the second episode, became a viral hit shortly after the series's release.[79] Users have created mods to patch the song into the video game adaptions of The Witcher.[80] All violin solos for the series were performed by Lindsay Deutsch.[81] 2ff7e9595c
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