The second season of The Last of Us won its first Emmy Award at the Creative Arts Emmys over the past weekend. It won for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Comedy or Drama Series for the episode “Through the Valley,” the second episode of the season–and its most traumatic.
The show was recognized in a range of technical and creative categories, including Best Production Design, Casting, Picture Editing, Contemporary Makeup, Prosthetic Makeup, Music Supervision, Sound Mixing, and Special Visual Effects. Even its behind-the-scenes documentary earned a nomination in the Nonfiction Short category.
This year, The Last of Us secured 16 total nominations, down from the 24 it received for its first season. Pedro Pascal (Joel) was nominated for Best Actor, despite his limited appearance in only three episodes, while Bella Ramsey (Ellie) received a Best Actress nomination. Supporting cast members Kaitlyn Dever (Abby), Catherine O’Hara (Gail), Jeffrey Wright (Isaac), and Joe Pantoliano (Eugene) also received acting nods. The series was also nominated for Best Drama for the second consecutive year.
However, the show did not receive any nominations for writing or directing, and some fans have expressed disappointment over Isabela Merced being overlooked for her performance as Dina. Despite these omissions, Naughty Dog co-president Neil Druckmann expressed gratitude to the Television Academy and praised the team: “To see the story of The Last of Us Part II celebrated and find new life and new fans has been a thrill for our studio.”
As anticipation builds for the confirmed third season, which will center on Abby’s story, a release date has yet to be announced. The first season of the series won eight Emmys out of its 24 nominations, including Outstanding Guest Actor for Nick Offerman. This year, HBO’s The Penguin and The White Lotus, along with Apple’s Severance, led the nominations count.