Filling the Void: Shows To Watch If You Love "The Last of Us"!

Finishing up a season of excellent TV can be a bittersweet experience; reaching the peak of an arc but saying goodbye to characters you love for an unknown amount of time. Thus the void -- the empty space left by these stories, characters, and countless hours of entertainment. Most recently, audiences have been voided by the second season of the HBO smash hit and video game adaptation "The Last of Us". To help ease the withdrawal of the infected, these 5 shows will help fill the void while viewers anxiously await the third season!

1. "The Walking Dead"

A bit of a no-brainer, "The Walking Dead" can be seen as the zombie predecessor to "The Last of Us". With its array of evocative characters, "TWD" is an 11-season voyage also based on prior zombie intellectual property -- a comic book series of the same name. Similarly to "The Last of Us", this show is a character-driven, twisty ride that will have you craving each episode as soon as the last has ended. Find all 177 episodes (and several spin-off series) on Netflix and AMC+ to ease the vacancy left by "The Last of Us".

2. "The Leftovers"

Another HBO sci-fi epic, "The Leftovers" is also a character-driven show that examines life in a post-apocalyptic setting. Following characters after 2% of the world disappears, the 3-season drama dives into many themes also found in "The Last of Us". It leans heavily into grief, love, and systems of belief while taking audiences through an unpredictable, 28-episode journey of cults, dream sequences, and mystery. Justin Theroux and Carrie Coon give legendary performances in this Damon Lindelof-headed beast, producing a series more than worthy of filling this "Last of Us" void. Stream it on Max!

3. "Lost"

"Lost" is a 2000s TV staple, another series run by the master of prestige sci-fi, Damon Lindelof. Following the theme of the shows before, "Lost" is an unpredictable ride turned top-tier by its meticulously crafted character web. With a 2-part pilot that will sweep you off your feet and right into binge mode, this show similarly tackles the themes seen in "The Last of Us", studying grief, love, and perspective in a completely new world. Careful with this one, though, because you won’t be able to put it down once you stop, successfully replacing the space left by the second season of "The Last of Us". Stream on Netflix!

4. "Dark"

Maintaining the common theme of a large sum of deeply-rooted characters in a science-fiction induced world, the German series "Dark" is a time-jumping, time-looping, time-travelling tale taking place from 1921 to 2052. Focusing on three different time periods, all vacated by the same characters and their ancestors, this show finds itself adjacent to "The Last of Us" through its somber atmosphere, focus on character relationships, and relentless plot twists. "Dark" can be found on Netflix!

5. "Chernobyl"

Although Chernobyl is indeed a mini-series based on true events, Craig Mazin’s colossal hit that landed him a writing spot on "The Last of Us", is hard to overlook here. Its 5-episode tour-de-force on the events surrounding the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster is a modern TV essential, and Mazin’s signature bleak tone seen in "The Last of Us" is even more apparent here. Also including many emotionally connected and driven characters, as well as the theme of the consequences of human error, "Chernobyl" is a major scratch to the itch caused by Mazin’s following project, "The Last of Us". Visit its home Max to watch all 5 masterful episodes!

Now get to it: fill that void!