The Last of Us Fans Need to Watch This HBO Series While Waiting for Season 2

There was once a great debate over the obvious similarities between HBO's The Last of Us and AMC's The Walking Dead franchise. Both are apocalyptic media darlings whose cannibalistic creatures are no match for the ravenous things the human villains do. There is also another post-apocalyptic series on HBO's streaming service, Max, that's hidden in plain sight: Station Eleven. The series has always been one of those shows people recommend as an "underrated series that's just like [X] show." This is partially due to it being released at the awkward time of mid-December 2021 to January 2022. It missed the mark of joining the following awards season and was buried under holiday releases.

Only a year later, The Last of Us was reborn as a well-received television adaptation based on the acclaimed video game of the same name. As The Last of Us rises to claim its title as the most popular post-apocalyptic series of all time, Station Eleven still sits quietly as its loyal fans jump to defend its honor. The two shows are the subject of comparisons from time to time, which is no surprise. They do share common tropes and are coincidentally housed at the same streaming service. But what if there was a perfect world where The Last of Us and Station Eleven aren't at war to declare themselves as Max's best apocalyptic series? Rather, Station Eleven should be the ideal pocket-sized series to watch as The Last of Us fans wait for Season 2.

The Last of Us and Station Eleven Employ a Popular Trope

Both Max Shows Have a Reluctant Man Looking After a Young Girl in the Apocalypse

It's no secret that television shows and movies, post-apocalyptic or not, love an unexpected caretaker trope. This trope sees a disgruntled adult, more likely a man, suddenly taking on the responsibility of looking after a young child, more likely a girl, who has a lot to learn about the world. In some cases, the trope is specifically called the "Badass and the Child," which fits The Last of Us' main duo. Joel is a closed-off, but experienced survivor who takes Ellie under his wing against his liking. Having grown up in a quarantine zone, Ellie is naive about the outside and the dangers that lie beyond the people infected by the Cordyceps fungus.

The once-strained relationship between the strangers softens as they travel across the United States, breaking down Joel's walls and, simultaneously, building Ellie's up. The promise of an eventual bond between Joel and Ellie lies with Joel's grief for his deceased daughter. The Last of Us doesn't create Ellie as a replacement daughter, but rather, as a reminder for Joel that there is still something worth living for. Station Eleven takes the caretaker trope more literally, and less on the lines of the Badass and the Child. In the flashbacks of the miniseries, Jeevan becomes the reluctant guardian of Kirsten after the deadly Georgia Flu quickly pillages the world.

The dynamic is only similar to Joel and Ellie on the surface. Jeevan isn't a tough, macho man and often relies on Kirsten to ground him as he's suddenly upholding so much responsibility by taking care of her and his brother. In his pre-apocalyptic life, he was once disappointed by his work and found no purpose in life. Now his purpose is to serve others as the rest of humanity dies around him. Both dynamics in The Last of Us and Station Eleven grow in similar ways that only differ in the show's thematic intention: Joel and Jeevan connect with Ellie and Kirsten because they've found a purpose that fulfills them. The difference is that Joel and Ellie bond through violence and bloodshed, while Jeevan and Kirsten bond through art and pacifistic service.

Comic Books Inform Each Show's Survivalist Mottos

Art and Storytelling Give Ellie and Kirsten an Outlet to Escape the Post-Apocalyptic World

Another similarity between The Last of Us and Station Eleven is found in a prop used by the young characters. Both Ellie and Kirsten use a fictional graphic novel in their respective universes as a distraction from the real world's cruelties. Additionally, the graphic novels' core message enlightens how the young survivors approach the post-apocalyptic world. Like she does in the video game, Ellie collects a comic book series called Savage Starlight, following the adventures of Dr. Daniela Star who travels through space and time.

Ellie adopts her motto, "Endure and survive," as a coping mechanism and words of affirmation. In other words, it means, "One day at a time." The motto is both optimistic and grueling, since it only applies to a world in which there is no future. "Endure and survive" only has meaning when there's something to survive from. The Last of Us' world is still very much an apocalyptic world that's wasted by clickers, tormenting extremists or cannibalistic pedophiles. By contrast, Station Eleven's world is truly post-apocalyptic. The Georgia Flu that wiped out most of the world's population still exists, but far less frequently.

There are no undead creatures or vile humans that can't be redeemed. Society is slowly rebuilding itself, which is why its own comic book (also called Station Eleven) fits its themes. The comic book is an invisible string between Kirsten and another child, Tyler, who grows up to be known as the antagonistic "Prophet." The art and story of the graphic novel (which is inspired by the author's experience losing her family in a hurricane) are interpreted differently by its only two readers. Kirsten uses it as a comfort, like Ellie, to escape the real world and enjoy art. Tyler abuses it as a prophecy to erase any memory of what civilization was before.

Station Eleven Offers an Optimistic Post-Apocalyptic Story

When The Last of Us Can Be Lost in the Darkness, Station Eleven Looks for the Light

There's no doubt that The Last of Us is downright depressing at times, contradicting its core mantra of "When you're lost in the darkness, look for the light." Even 20 years after the outbreak, the world hasn't made much progress at rebuilding itself. Station Eleven's world, however, shows better hope for its future. Communities are in communication with one another. People are safe enough to grow old, have families and travel with friends to put on Shakespearean productions. Of course, the occasional stranger causes suspicion, but nothing in comparison to what Joel and Ellie constantly encounter in The Last of Us.

This grave difference is rooted in the nature of each show's devastating disease. Station Eleven's flu affects and kills its victims, once and for all. The Last of Us' Cordyceps virus creates cannibalistic feral humans that spread the disease and are difficult to kill. It's unfair to pit The Last of Us and Station Eleven in the age-old argument of "Which show is better?" Both shows serve different messages about humanity in opposing apocalyptic situations. The Last of Us can be a downer sometimes, but in all the right ways. Station Eleven dares to be positive and find the silver lining in a terrible circumstance.

Whereas The Last of Us is conditioned to focus on how love both destroys and upholds morality, Station Eleven explores the role of art in keeping or dismantling one's goodness. The thread that connects both shows is how human connection thrives even in the face of death. For fans of The Last of Us who are missing this, it only takes 10 episodes to get through Station Eleven's equally empowering story.

The Last of Us Season 1 and Station Eleven are available to stream on Max. The Last of Us Season 2 is currently in development and expected to premiere in 2025.