The video games industry is bearing witness to a historic moment. HBO’s The Last of Us has become the first live-action game adaptation to earn Emmy nominations, with nods for best drama series, individual performances from Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, and more.
The achievement comes after Netflix’s Arcane, based on Riot Games’ League of Legends, won the Emmy for best animated programme in 2022, making it the first of its kind ever to get — and clinch — an Emmy. But The Last of Us has surpassed the awards recognition of any other game adaptation to date, scoring a total of 24 nods.
The show stars Pascal as protagonist Joel and Ramsey as Ellie, a headstrong teenager. Based on the 2013 title by Naughty Dog, it charts the pair’s journey through the zombie-infested American wilderness, and bears near-identical traces of the game’s nuanced storytelling and emotional depth. It faces competition from Andor, Better Call Saul, House of the Dragon, Succession, The White Lotus, and Yellowjackets in the Outstanding Drama Series category.
Alongside Pascal and Ramsey, other nominees include guest stars Melanie Lynskey, Storm Reid, Anna Torv, Murray Bartlett, Lamar Johnson, Nick Offerman, and Keivonn Montreal Woodard. Craig Maxin, the show’s co-creator, is nominated for writing, while Peter Hoar has received a nod for directing the third episode, “Long, Long Time.”
The Last of Us isn’t the only history-maker on the list. For its final season, Succession secured three nominations in the lead actor in a drama series category Brian Cox, Kieran Culkin, and Jeremy Strong. It leads the Emmy race with 27 nods, ahead of The Last of Us, The White Lotus (23), and Apple TV+ comedy Ted Lasso (21).
The list of major nominations is as follows:
Drama Series
- Andor
- Better Call Saul
- The Crown
- House of the Dragon
- The Last of Us
- Succession
- The White Lotus
- Yellowjackets
Comedy Series
- Abbott Elementary
- Barry
- The Bear
- Jury Duty
- The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
- Only Murders in the Building
- Ted Lasso
- Wednesday
Limited Series
- Beef
- Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story
- Daisy Jones & the Six
- Fleishman Is in Trouble
- Obi-Wan Kenobi
Lead Actor in a Drama Series
- Jeff Bridges (The Old Man)
- Brian Cox (Succession)
- Kieran Culkin (Succession)
- Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul)
- Pedro Pascal (The Last of Us)
- Jeremy Strong (Succession)
Lead Actress in a Drama Series
- Sharon Horgan (Bad Sisters)
- Melanie Lynskey (Yellowjackets)
- Elisabeth Moss (The Handmaid’s Tale)
- Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us)
- Keri Russell (The Diplomat)
- Sarah Snook (Succession)
Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
- Bill Hader (Barry)
- Jason Segel (Shrinking)
- Martin Short (Only Murders in the Building)
- Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso)
- Jeremy Allen White (The Bear)
Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
- Christina Applegate (Dead to Me)
- Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel)
- Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary)
- Natasha Lyonne (Poker Face)
- Jenna Ortega (Wednesday)
Lead Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
- Taron Egerton (Black Bird)
- Kumail Nanjiani (Welcome to Chippendales)
- Evan Peters (Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story)
- Daniel Radcliffe (Weird: The Al Yankovic Story)
- Michael Shannon (George & Tammy)
- Steven Yeun (Beef)
Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
- Lizzy Caplan (Fleishman Is in Trouble)
- Jessica Chastain (George & Tammy)
- Dominique Fishback (Swarm)
- Kathryn Hahn (Tiny Beautiful Things)
- Riley Keough (Daisy Jones & the Six)
- Ali Wong (Beef)
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
