‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 introduces its audience to its primary location—Seattle

“The Last of Us,” the Emmy-award-winning apocalyptic drama on Max, has returned for its second season earlier this month, and with it, its central location has been revealed—Seattle. Though, the show wasn’t filmed here.

“The Last of Us” is a television adaptation of the acclaimed video game series of the same name, with Neil Druckmann, the video game’s writer and creative director, operating as one of the show’s lead showrunners. While the first season followed Ellie and Joel as they embarked on a cross-country journey from Boston to Salt Lake City, the second season has a much more central location, as revealed in its latest episode, which aired Sunday.

Seattle hasn’t been explored much by the show’s central characters yet, but the video game features many prominent Seattle locations in a post-apocolyptic fashion, including the Paramount Theatre, located on 9th Avenue and Pine Street, Lumen Field in Seattle’s SoDo neighborhood, The Seattle Great Wheel, the Seattle Convention Center, the historic Chinatown Gate in the Chinatown-International District, Seattle’s Central Library, the Seattle Aquarium, and, yes, the Space Needle.

The video game even included little Seattle details, like a series of rainbow crosswalks that adorn Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.

“The Last of Us” Season 2 premiere on HBO Max drew 5.3 million viewers, according to Variety, a 13% increase compared to the Season 1 premiere. The Hollywood Reporter reported that season one averaged nearly 32 million viewers per episode in total, making it the largest audience for an HBO Max debut season ever. 

The first season was nominated for 24 primetime Emmy awards, winning eight.

‘The Last of Us’ was filmed in B.C.

While “The Last of Us'” second season is set in the Emerald City, its principal filming occurred in Vancouver, British Columbia. The first season was filmed primarily in Calgary, Alberta.

British Columbia has played host to many filming sets for American television and film projects due to the province’s tax breaks and abundant production industry.

Seattle attempts to expand its film imprint

But Seattle, and the state as a whole, is trying to expand its film prowess to become a staple in the entertainment industry. In 2022, Washington passed a bill that thoroughly updated and expanded the state’s Motion Picture Competitiveness Program (MPCP). The bill increased the program’s funding cap by more than 400%, from $3.5 million—which ranked as one of the worst incentives in the state in the U.S.—to $15 million per year.

BREAKING📽️: The Council just passed legislation to create a Seattle Film Commission tasked with advising the City on policies that strengthen Seattle’s film and television industry. It was sponsored by Councilmember Sara Nelson (@CMSaraNelson).

— Seattle City Council (@SeattleCouncil) September 20, 2022

California, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Mexico, and New York provided the largest incentives in the U.S.

States offer these incentives because in-state movie productions often boost the local economy. Incentive packages vary from state to state, but many include production rebates, which reduce the costs of making movies, TV shows, and commercials, in some states, according to Giggster.

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