5 Shows to Watch to Fill ‘The Last Of Us’-Shaped Hole in Your Heart

March 16, 2023

The Last Of Us ended its first season this week with a spectacular and violent finale that brought nine weeks of harrowing and dystopic television to a thrilling close.

Following Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) on their dangerous journey across America, The Last of Us quickly became one of the most popular and biggest shows of the year.

But as we mourn the end of The Last Of Us, and with rumours we won’t get season 2 until 2024 or as late as 2025, in the meantime, we thought it best we round up five shows like The Last Of Us for you to devour.

Chernobyl

Created and written by The Last of Us co-showrunner Craig Mazin, Chernobyl is a five-part historical miniseries that focuses on the worst man-made disaster in human histor — the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear explosion, and the tragedy that follows in the following days, weeks and months.

Watch Chernobyl on Binge

Station Eleven

Adapted from the book of the same name by Emily St. John Mandel, Station Eleven was an underrated gem from 2021. Just like The Last of Us, Station Eleven is set in the midst of a global flu pandemic and follows survivors as they attempt to rebuild their lives. It explores not just the capacity of human survival, but also asks the question: what is worth enduring for?

Watch Station Eleven on Stan

The Leftovers

The Leftovers, based on the Tom Perotta novel of the same name, is set in the aftermath of The Great Departure, where two percent of the world’s population suddenly vanished. The series follows a group of people who struggle to continue on with their lives while grappling with the inexplicable event.

Watch The Leftovers on Binge

Sweet Tooth

Set in a post-apocalyptic world where a virus has wiped out much of the human population, the show follows Gus, a young half-human, half-deer boy, who sets out on a journey to find his mother and may just lead the world to a cure. It’s much more family-friendly than The Last Of Us.

Watch Sweet Tooth on Netflix.

The Walking Dead And All Its Spinoffs

How could we not mention The Walking Dead? When the post-apocalyptic zombie show premiered in 2010, it was unlike anything we’d ever seen on TV. The OG series, plus its various and numerous spinoffs, are filled with twists and turns as survivors struggle to stay alive in the zombie apocalypse. If you haven’t watched The Walking Dead and all of its spinoffs yet (or looking for an excuse to revisit it), now is the time as we face a long wait until the next season of The Last of Us.

Watch The Walking Dead and its spinoffs on Binge and Disney+.

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