After the tragic death of Catherine O’Hara, The Last of Us season 3 showrunner Craig Mazin has confirmed that the late actor would have returned in the upcoming third season.
O’Hara played Gail Lynden in The Last of Us, a therapist whose husband Joel had killed.
“I don’t think it’s a big spoiler to say that she was gonna be in our show again, because of course she was,” Mazin said on the Scriptnotes podcast. “She’s so good. But she was stolen from all of us. The thing that’s upsetting me is I don’t get to see her in other stuff. Like, I don’t care about my show. I wanted to see her in other things, cause what else was gonna happen?”
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O’Hara died on January 30, 2026 from an undisclosed illness. Along with The Last of Us, she memorably starred in Beetlejuice, Home Alone, Schitt’s Creek, and many more movies and shows across her storied career.
The Last of Us season 3 is switching focus to Kaitlyn Dever’s Abby, which was teased in The Last of Us season 2 ending. “The fans are really going to like it, I think, the shifting perspective onto Abby, getting some more context onto her storyline and going back in time with this season. So, I’m very excited for the fans to see it,” Dever said in January.
However, creator Neil Druckmann won’t be as involved as in earlier seasons this time around. “It was right when we were about to start the writers’ room for season 3,” Druckmann explained. “I looked at what’s in front of me, what would the next season might look like, and with all the various Last of Us things I’m working on – not just the show – with all the various games I’m working on, the biggest one that takes up most of my time is Intergalactic: The Heretic Profit, our next big IP for Naughty Dog and PlayStation, it felt like I could better serve all of my responsibilities if I stayed at a higher level.”
The Last of Us season 3 doesn’t have a release date just yet. In the meantime, check out our guide to all the most exciting new TV shows of the year.
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