The Last of Us has lost another major player.
Neil Druckmann, co-creator of the hit video game who also helmed the HBO adaptation alongside Craig Mazin, announced he would be exiting the series ahead of production on season three.
“I’ve made the difficult decision to step away from my creative involvement in The Last of Us on HBO,” Druckmann said in a statement to The Ankler July 2. “With work completed on season 2 and before any meaningful work starts on season 3, now is the right time for me to transition my complete focus to [video game developer] Naughty Dog and its future projects, including writing and directing our exciting next game, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, along with my responsibilities as Studio Head and Head of Creative.”
The video game executive—who will continue to be credited as an executive producer on the show—also shared his gratitude for his work on the Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey-led series.
“Co-creating the show has been a career highlight,” Druckmann continued. “It’s been an honor to work alongside Craig Mazin to executive produce, direct and write on the last two seasons. I’m deeply thankful for the thoughtful approach and dedication the talented cast and crew took to adapting The Last of Us Part I and the continued adaptation of The Last of Us Part II.”
In addition to Druckmann’s exit, Halley Gross—who co-wrote the Part II version of the video game and worked on season two of the show—also revealed her departure.
“With great care and consideration, I’ve decided to take a step back from my day-to-day work on HBO’s The Last of Us to make space for what comes next,” she shared in her own Instagram announcement. “I’m so appreciative of how special this experience has been.”
Gross added, “Working alongside Neil, Craig, HBO, and this remarkable cast and crew has been life changing. The stories we told – about love, loss, and what it means to be human in a terrifying world – are exactly why I love this franchise.”
As for Mazin, he expressed gratitude towards his collaborators for all they did for the show.
“It’s been a creative dream to work with Neil and bring an adaptation of his brilliant work to life on HBO,” the Chernobyl creator said in a statement to Variety. “I couldn’t have asked for a more generous creative partner. As a true fan of Naughty Dog and Neil’s work in video games, I’m beyond excited to play his next game.”
Looking ahead, Mazin continued, “While he focuses on that, I’ll continue to work with our brilliant cast and crew to deliver the show our audience has come to expect. We are so grateful to Neil and Halley Gross for entrusting the incredible story of The Last of Us Part II to us, and we’re just as grateful to the millions of people around the world who tune in.”
While The Last of Us has officially been renewed for season three, read on to learn the fate of other current TV shows.
Renewed: Honest Renovations
Jessica Alba and Lizzy Mathis' Roku home renovation show will tackle new constructions on season four.
Renewed: Love Island: Beyond the Villa
The second season of Peacock's Love Island spinoff will debut in 2026.
Renewed: Nobody Wants This
Everybody wants more of this. The Netflix comedy will be back for season three.
Canceled: Ridiculousness
After 14 years, the hit MTV clip show hosted by Rob Dyrdek is coming to an end.
Renewed: King of the Hill
The beloved animated comedy will continue grilling through seasons 16 and 17 on Hulu.
Renewed: Adults
The comedy about a group of twenty-somethings in New York trying to be good people will return for season two.
Renewed: Only Murders in the Building
OMITB is alive and well because the Hulu series is returning for season six in 2026.
The show will film overseas for the first time, with the beloved crime-solving trio leaving New York City to investigate London’s newest mystery.
Renewed: The Rainmaker
The USA Network legal drama will return to the courtroom for season two.
Canceled: The Kitchen
Food Network announced that the weekend culinary talk show hosted by Sunny Anderson, Jeff Mauro, Geoffrey Zakarian, Katie Lee and Alex Guarnaschelli will end at the end in December 2025 after 12 years and 40 seasons.
Renewed: The Buccaneers
The Apple TV+ drama inspired by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edith Wharton’s final novel will return for season three.
Renewed: Lioness
The Paramount+ thriller starring Zoe Saldana and Nicole Kidman was renewed for a third season, according to multiple outlets.
Canceled: The Ultimatum: Queer Love
The Netflix dating reality show won't be back for season three, Varity reported in October.
Canceled: Mid-Century Modern
The Hulu comedy inspired by The Golden Girls won't be returning for a second season.
Renewed: The Morning Show
The Apple TV+ drama, starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon, will be back for season five.
Canceled: Catfish
The MTV series will end with season nine.
“After 12 years,” host Nev Schulman said as he sat next to Max Joseph in a Sept. 22 Instagram video, “300 episodes and just a lot of traveling around this incredible country, Catfish has officially been cancelled. Sorry.”
Renewed: Hunting Wives
After the May Cobb novel adaptation became a smash hit on Netflix when it was added to the platform in summer of 2025, the streamer confirmed it had picked up the series as an original for season two.
Renewed: Foundation
The apocalyptic sci-fi drama will be back for season four.
Renewed: Overcompensating
The Prime Video comedy will head back to school for season two.
Renewed: Berlin ER
Apple TV+ renewed the German-language drama for a second season.
Renewed: The Paper
Stop the presses: The Office spinoff will be back for season two on Peacock.
Ending: Bel-Air
Peacock's reimagined drama will debut it's fourth and final season Nov. 24.
Renewed: Password
Get ready for more outrageous clues, wild guesses and comedic moments as Keke Palmer returns as host alongside wordplay master Jimmy Fallon for season three.
Renewed: The Institute
The horror series was for season two, which should come as no surprise given that The Institute ranks as the best premiere ever on MGM+.
Renewed: America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys
Season three will follow the 2025-2026 Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders squad from start to finish—kicking off at auditions and training camp and continuing all the way through the NFL season.
Renewed: Solo Traveling
Tracee Ellis Ross' Roku Channel travel series will continue jet-setting to fabulous destinations with season two.
Renewed: American Ninja Warrior
The intense NBC competition series will continue to make jaws drop when more contestants compete for the $250,000 price on the upcoming 18th season.
Ending: And Just Like That...
Series creator Michael Patrick King revealed the Sex And The City spin-off starring Sarah Jessica Parker will end after the current third season in a two-part finale.
“And just like that…the ongoing storytelling of the Sex and the City universe is coming to an end,” Michael said in an Aug 1 Instagram post. “While I was writing the last episode of And Just Like That…season 3, it became clear to me that this might be a wonderful place to stop.”
“SJP and I held off announcing the news until now because we didn’t want the word ‘final’ to overshadow the fun of watching the season,” he added. “It’s with great gratitude we thank all the viewers who have let these characters into their homes and their hearts over these many years.”
Renewed: Untamed
Netflix's new series set in Yellowstone National Park and starring Eric Bana scored a season two renewal, according to Variety.
Renewed: Pluribus
The new series, in which the most miserable person on Earth must save the world from happiness, was renewed by Apple TV+ even before its season one premiere.
Renewed: Days of Our Lives
The long-running Peacock soap opera will return with more drama for seasons 62 and 63.