Those who are fans of post-apocalyptic dramas are excited about “The Last of Us,” a television series released Jan. 15, that is available on HBO Max and Hulu.

The series takes viewers into a world destroyed after a global pandemic. With civilization nearly non-existent, a hardened survivor (Joel played by Pedro Pascal) takes charge of a 14-year-old girl (Ellie played by Bella Ramsey) who may be humanity’s last hope.

The show, which was inspired by a 2013 video game, was created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann. The series is currently one season of nine episodes, with season two set to release at the end of 2024 or early 2025.

The first episode, titled “When You’re Lost in the Darkness,” is 80 minutes and kicks off with a scene from a talk show interview where a pair of scientists are discussing a fungus that has the capability of infecting, deranging and taking over the human body. It’s not long before people begin to become infected, and the episode takes the characters down a dark roller coaster of feelings.

I have never played the video game, but decided to watch the show. I have watched every episode they have posted. Although I think they could have used a different girl to play the part of Ellie, everyone else is okay. While I found parts of the episodes to be boring, the series is still great overall and the characters bring a good mix of funny and serious moments to the story.

Now that I’ve watched season one, I plan to play the video game when I can play it on ps4, and I’ll watch season two, which is expected to showcase a line up of the same cast and crew.

I would give the show an 8 out of 10, and I recommend people watch the show, or at least the first episode.