The Pace in The Last of Us Feels Like a Direct Response to The Walking Dead

As a result of all of this, we know that "The Last of Us" will never last as long as "The Walking Dead". Even if there weren't just two video games for the series to adapt to, it would still be clear. When a show is this focused, when it continually moves forward in its story instead of gradually establishing a status quo, it's clear that it has no intention of sticking around for as long as possible. Even when Ellie and Joel aren't on screen, it never feels like a moment is wasted.

“The Last of Us” seems like a clear indicator of how prestige television (or at least shows that aim for prestige television status) have evolved over the past 15 years. “The Walking Dead” aired at a time when it was normal for hit shows to last as long as the ratings allowed. Director Joel Coen recently complained about the medium of television, saying, "So much television has a beginning, middle, middle, middle, middle, until it all dies of exhaustion", but honestly the review is about 10 years too late.

While sitcoms like 'Friends' and 'How I Met Your Mother' lasted 9-10 seasons, today's acclaimed sitcoms like 'Ted Lasso' and 'The Good Place' have been content to stick around. finish on seasons 3 or 4, the number of episodes of each season being much lower. The writers of 'Lost' had to fight ABC to get them to end the show after 'only' six seasons, but the acclaimed 'Succession' series is now happily ending of its own accord in Season 4, even though no one would' I complained if they chose to continue.