LOS ANGELES, March 30 — When “The Last of Us”—the smash hit series about a post-apocalyptic society ravaged by a mass fungal infection—arrived on our screens in 2023, the real world was emerging from a pandemic.

Its timely premise evidently struck a chord, as the video game adaptation’s debut season drew a record-breaking 32 million US viewers per episode, according to HBO.

Now season two, which premieres April 13 and hinges on themes of conflict and vengeance, will be equally relevant and prescient, promises returning star Pedro Pascal.