Megan Mullally is an American actress, singer and comedian. She is best known for playing Karen Walker in the NBC sitcom Will & Grace, for which she received eight Primetime Emmy Award nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series, winning twice, in 2000 and 2006. She also received nominations for numerous other accolades for her portrayal, including seven consecutive Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series, winning three times, in 2001, 2002, and 2003, as well as receiving four Golden Globe Award nominations.
Craig Mazin is an American screenwriter, producer, and director. He is best known for creating, writing, and producing the HBO miniseries Chernobyl (2019) and co-creating, co-writing, and executive producing the HBO series The Last of Us (2023–present), the latter alongside Neil Druckmann. He has won two Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special and Outstanding Limited Series. Before his work on drama shows gained widespread attention, he was primarily known for his writing work on comedy films such as Scary Movie 3 (2003), Scary Movie 4 (2006), The Hangover Part II (2011), The Hangover Part III (2013), and Identity Thief (2013).
Nicholas David Offerman is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer and woodworker. He became widely known for his role as Ron Swanson in the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation (2009–2015), for which he received the Television Critics Association Award for Individual Achievement in Comedy and was twice nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series.
Gustavo Alfredo Santaolalla is an Argentine musician, composer, and record producer. He is known for composing film scores for the acclaimed director Alejandro González Iñárritu, composing the first four psychological drama films Iñárritu directed. He also composed the original scores for the video games The Last of Us (2013) and The Last of Us Part II (2020), as well as the themes for television series such as the American satirical romantic dramedy series Jane the Virgin (2014–2019), the MBC 4 satirical romantic dramedy series Miss Farah (2019–2022), an Arabic adaptation of Jane the Virgin, and Making a Murderer (2015–2018). He won Academy Awards for Best Original Score in two consecutive years, first for Brokeback Mountain (2005) and then Babel (2006).
The music for the 2013 action-adventure survival horror video game The Last of Us, developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, was composed by musician Gustavo Santaolalla. Supplementary music for the game's downloadable content The Last of Us: Left Behind was composed by Santaolalla, Andrew Buresh, Anthony Caruso and Jonathan Mayer. Both soundtracks were produced by Santaolalla, Mayer, and Aníbal Kerpel, with separate segments recorded in both Los Angeles and Nashville. Santaolalla, known for his minimalist approach to composing, was excited to work on the soundtrack due to the game's focus on the characters and story. He began composing the music early in the game's development, with few instructions from the development team on the tone that they intended. In collaboration with each other, the team and Santaolalla aimed to make the soundtrack emotional, as opposed to scary. Santaolalla used various instruments to compose the score, including some that were unfamiliar to him.
"Long, Long Time" is a song written by Gary White which became a hit for Linda Ronstadt in 1970. Ronstadt included the song on her album Silk Purse. "Long, Long Time" is about a lasting love for someone who never became a lover.
"Endure and Survive" is the fifth episode of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us. The episode was written by series co-creator Craig Mazin and directed by Jeremy Webb. It was released online on HBO Max and HBO on Demand on February 10, 2023, ahead of its broadcast on HBO on February 12. In the episode, Joel and Ellie agree to escape Kansas City, Missouri, with Henry and his brother Sam, who are being hunted by bandit leader Kathleen and her second-in-command Perry.
Chernobyl is a 2019 historical drama television miniseries that revolves around the Chernobyl disaster of 1986 and the cleanup efforts that followed. The series was created and written by Craig Mazin and directed by Johan Renck. It features an ensemble cast led by Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård, Emily Watson, and Paul Ritter. The series was produced by HBO in the United States and Sky UK in the United Kingdom.
Euphoria is an American teen drama television series created and principally written by Sam Levinson for HBO and based on the Israeli miniseries of the same name created by Ron Leshem and Daphna Levin. The main character is Rue Bennett (Zendaya), a troubled teenage drug addict who struggles to get sober and find her place in the world. Though Rue is the central focus, the series provides backstories for the rest of the main cast at the beginning of most episodes.
The Last of Us is an American post-apocalyptic drama television series created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann for HBO. Based on the 2013 video game developed by Naughty Dog, the series is set twenty years into a pandemic caused by a mass fungal infection, which causes its hosts to transform into zombie-like creatures and collapses society. The series follows Joel, a smuggler tasked with escorting the immune teenager Ellie across a post-apocalyptic United States.
The music for the 2020 action-adventure survival horror video game The Last of Us Part II, developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Interactive Entertainment, was composed by musician Gustavo Santaolalla, with additional music composed by Mac Quayle. The original score album was released digitally alongside the game in June 2020, featuring the work of Santaolalla and Quayle. An additional extended play, Covers and Rarities, was released in September 2021, featuring five cover songs from the game and its marketing performed by Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, who portrayed Joel and Ellie, respectively. The game also received two single releases as vinyl records: one in June 2018 featuring music from the trailers, and one in the Ellie Edition of the game in June 2020.
"When You're Lost in the Darkness" is the series premiere of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us. Written by series creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann and directed by Mazin, the episode aired on HBO on January 15, 2023. It introduced the character Joel and his daughter Sarah during the chaos of a global pandemic outbreak caused by a mutated form of the Cordyceps fungus that turns its victims into bloodthirsty attackers. Twenty years later, Joel and his partner Tess set out to find Joel's brother Tommy and are tasked with smuggling the young Ellie in exchange for supplies.
"Infected" is the second episode of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us. It was written and directed by series creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, respectively; Druckmann wrote and co-directed the 2013 video game on which the series is based. The episode aired on HBO on January 22, 2023. In the episode, Joel and his partner Tess escort the young Ellie through a biological contamination area in Boston to reach the Massachusetts State House.
"Long, Long Time" is the third episode of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us. The episode was written by series co-creator Craig Mazin and directed by Peter Hoar. It aired on HBO on January 29, 2023. In the episode, Joel and Ellie travel to Lincoln, Massachusetts, to find Bill. Flashbacks follow Bill over twenty years as he survives in his town and meets his partner Frank. The episode's title is taken from the 1970 song by Linda Ronstadt, which plays an important role in Bill and Frank's relationship.
"Please Hold to My Hand" is the fourth episode of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us. The episode was written by series co-creator Craig Mazin and directed by Jeremy Webb. It aired on HBO on February 5, 2023. In the episode, Joel and Ellie encounter an ambush in Kansas City, Missouri. Elsewhere in the city, bandit leader Kathleen, her second-in-command Perry, and their group search for Henry and his brother Sam.
"Kin" is the sixth episode of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us. The episode was written by series co-creator Craig Mazin and directed by Jasmila Žbanić. It aired on HBO on February 19, 2023. In the episode, Joel and Ellie travel to Jackson, Wyoming, where they find Joel's brother Tommy and his wife Maria.
"Left Behind" is the seventh episode of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us. The episode was written by series co-creator Neil Druckmann and directed by Liza Johnson. It aired on HBO on February 26, 2023. In the episode, Ellie searches for supplies to save Joel. A flashback follows Ellie as she spends time with her best friend Riley Abel in Boston.
"When We Are in Need" is the eighth episode of the American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us. The episode was written by series co-creator Craig Mazin and directed by Ali Abbasi. It aired on HBO on March 5, 2023. In the episode, Ellie attempts to protect Joel. She encounters a group of survivors led by a preacher, David, who wants vengeance against Joel and shows interest in Ellie.
"Look for the Light" is the ninth and final episode of the first season of American post-apocalyptic drama television series The Last of Us. The episode was written by series creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, and directed by Ali Abbasi. It aired on HBO on March 12, 2023. In the episode, Joel and Ellie arrive in Salt Lake City, Utah, in search for the hospital run by the Fireflies, led by Marlene. A flashback follows Ellie's mother, Anna, as she gives birth.
