The Last of Us Season 3 Just Made a Fatal Mistake

Now, HBO has officially confirmed what fans were dreading: Season 3 will put Abby front and center, played by Kaitlyn Dever, with Ellie taking a backseat—or possibly vanishing altogether.

The finale of Season 2 already teased it, backtracking to show Abby's side of the story.

But at a recent Emmys FYC event, showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann spelled it out: Season 3 is "more of a water season than a fire season." Translation? Slower. More introspective. And yes, "starring—spoiler alert—Kaitlyn."

Fans aren't exactly thrilled. Even those who played the games are raising eyebrows. Many had already jumped ship after Joel's brutal death—faithfully recreated from the game, but dropped too early in the season without enough emotional setup. Game fans argued it needed more flashbacks. Show-only viewers were just traumatized.

Now, turning the entire next season into "The Abby Show" might be the final straw. She's already one of the most divisive characters in modern pop culture. Game players complain she looks nothing like the source material. Show-only fans still hate her for killing Joel. And instead of softening that blow, HBO's decided to make her the lead.

Reddit's already lit up with backlash.

One user summed it up: "Exactly why I will not be watching." Another pointed out the obvious pacing issue—fans waited years to play as Abby in the game, but here they'll be asked to care about her with none of the emotional build-up. One viewer suggested merging Seasons 2 and 3 would've helped. As it stands, people feel whiplashed.

Some defenders say this is intentional—that you're meant to hate Abby before seeing things from her side. Which is fine, in theory. But in practice? This isn't a video game where you control the pacing. It's a show you watch once a year (if that), and emotional investment doesn't carry over well when you're asked to suddenly empathize with the person who murdered your favorite character.

Ratings already reflect that shift. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Season 2 premiere pulled in 5.3 million viewers. By the finale: 3.7 million. Sure, Memorial Day weekend might've played a role—but the energy just wasn't there. Viewers weren't racing to finish the story. A lot had already tuned out.

The biggest issue? The show doesn't seem to know what it wants to be. Is it a zombie series? Hardly any infected have shown up since Season 1. Is it a revenge story? Maybe. A coming-of-age drama? Sometimes. Whatever it is, the Joel & Ellie story is long gone—and with Ellie likely absent from most of Season 3, what's left?

Mazin says the show is about grief. "How are we supposed to grieve if nobody we're truly invested in dies?" Fair question. But maybe they miscalculated—because the thing dying might be the audience.

It's hard not to compare it to The Bear, which recently gambled on a "filler" season. The difference? The Bear filmed Season 4 back-to-back to soften the blow. The Last of Us has no such safety net. It's diving into a full season focused on a character many viewers don't like, in a story rhythm that's frustrating even to fans of the game.

Sure, there are still those sticking around—mainly players who know what's coming with the WLF, the Scars, and Isaac (played by Jeffrey Wright). But for casual viewers? It's going to be all Abby, all the time. Whether anyone shows up to watch is another story.