What are the chances The Last of Us will take home Emmy awards?

The 2025 Emmy nominations are out and generating a lot of conversations about who's on the list, who was snubbed, and who will be taking home the coveted trophies. A lot of TV shows from the sci-fi and fantasy genres made the cut, including Severance, The Penguin, Andor, and HBO's zombie drama The Last of Us.

When season 2 premiered in April, the one thing devoted fans of both the video game and television show dreaded the most occurred: Abby (Kaitlyn Dever) killed Joel (Pedro Pascal). One of the most controversial moments in video game history came to life, and in the second episode of the season no less, leaving Ellie (Bella Ramsey) to carry the rest of the season as her quest for revenge against Abby began.

Ratings for the second season fell compared to the first, but The Last of Us still managed to get an impressive 17 Emmy nominations, including in the following top primetime categories:

• Outstanding Drama Series
• Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series: Bella Ramsey
• Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series: Pedro Pascal
• Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series: Kaitlyn Dever
• Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series: Catherine O'Hara (Gail)
• Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series: Joe Pantoliano (Eugene)
• Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series: Jeffrey Wright (Isaac)

Considering that Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal won the MTV Movie Award for Best On-Screen Duo in 2023, and Pedro Pascal won four awards for his performance as Joel in season 1 — including the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series — I'd like to think the odds are in their favor again this year. Ellie became the focal point of the story after Joel's death, meaning that Ramsey had a lot more to do. Pascal had less to do, but Joel's limited screentime in season 2 will be seared into fans' heads for the rest of time. The final conversation the two shared in the sixth episode was enough to solidify award nominations for both of them, and should guarantee some wins.

But, like in every award season, the competition is strong with equally deserving contenders from popular shows, like those from HBO Max's hit The Pitt and Apple TV+ Severance, the latter of which scored more nominations than any other show with 27.

We're curious as to who you think will win and why. The 77th Primetime Emmy Awards will be broadcast live on CBS on Sunday, September 14, 2025, at 8:00 p.m. EST.

You can stream The Last of Us seasons 1 and 2 on HBO Max.