The Last of Us TV show won't be here until 2023

The Last of Us TV show "isn't going to air in 2022" and is expected to arrive in 2023.

That's according to HBO Max chief content officer Casey Bloys, who discussed the series' schedule in a new interview with Deadline.

"It's not going to air in 2022 – they are still shooting in Canada. I imagine you will see it in '23," Bloys said, adding that "what I've seen looks amazing, so I'm excited for it, but it will not be in '22."

This news pours cold water on renewed hopes that the TV adaptation of Naughty Dog's not-zombie classic would arrive by the year's end. Last month, a bio update from one of the series' directors, Kantemir Balagov, seemed to indicate that the show was bound for a 2022 release date, though nothing was ever confirmed – and obviously, now we know why. 

It's also interesting to hear that the series is still actively shooting. Back in November, Naughty Dog co-president and The Last of Us director Neil Druckmann confirmed that he'd wrapped up his work on the TV show and returned to Naughty Dog's studio. Druckmann was a big part of the show's production, both co-writing it with Chernobyl writer Craig Mazin and directing a few episodes himself, so his departure suggested that the series would move from shooting into post-production relatively soon.

Granted, relatively is putting in some work there. Production timelines can vary and fluctuate greatly with projects like this, but with The Last of Us TV show now targeting a 2023 release, it's fair to assume that shooting will officially wrap up before we get too deep into 2022. 

Last month, Euphoria star Storm Reid joined The Last of Us TV show as Riley Abel, a key character in the game's Left Behind DLC.