Sure, The Last of Us just garnered two dozen Emmy nominations, but let’s be honest: some of them have left fans puzzled. Pedro Pascal being nominated for “lead actor” for what comprised only a few pivotal scenes? Bella Ramsey doing their best with a mediocre script? Isabela Merced, who practically carried the season, completely overlooked? It’s a messy situation.

But if that’s frustrating, then buckle up — because the plan for Season 3 is shaping up to be worse.

HBO CEO Casey Bloys recently gave Variety an update on the future of the series, and it’s… not encouraging.

“The series is definitely planned for 2027,” Bloys mentioned. “Craig [Mazin] is still determining whether it will be two more seasons or one extended season. It hasn’t been decided yet, and I’m following Craig’s lead on that.”

So, in the best scenario? We’re facing a two-year wait. In the worst scenario? Try three. The gap between Seasons 1 and 2 was already a patience-testing 2.5 years. If this pace continues, we’ll be watching the finale on a holographic HBO Max app projected into our retinas.

To make things even shakier, Mazin is now helming the show solo following Neil Druckmann’s departure. And if Season 2 was any indication — where Mazin was reportedly responsible for some of the more questionable choices — that’s reason enough to worry.

Mazin has previously said it would take four seasons to properly tell the rest of the story. But if he opts for one extra-long third season, production delays will only pile up. At this point, even the cast reportedly hasn’t been clued in on the scripts. So… what exactly is the plan?

If we do get two more seasons, here’s how the chaos breaks down: we’ll wait another 2.5 years to meet Abby (for real this time), and by then, most of the Season 2 cast will be long gone. Then we’ll wait again to wrap up the story with Ellie. And sure, that structure mirrors the game — but in-game, the narrative shift was instantaneous. Here, it’s literally years between arcs. It’s not just risky — it’s creatively incoherent.

Season 1 hit a perfect balance between cinematic drama and emotional payoff. Season 2 stumbled. If this next phase is Mazin going rogue with no Druckmann to course-correct? Let’s just say expectations are… low.