I understand that after the disappointment that became The Walking Dead universe, anything even marginally better in this genre is going to be welcomed with open arms. The Last of Us is a melancholy affair.

The premise is really about loss - loss of family, loss of lovers, loss of civilisation, etc. To this end the series captures that mood very well. I don't mind there being long intervals between action sequences because it makes them all the more compelling when they arrive.

I have only had a brief association with the game, so I don't sit there comparing scenes whilst I watch. Overall, it seems to capture the mood of the game which is better than trying to reproduce the game scene by scene and allows a freedom to where they want to take the story.

So, given they are taking a relaxed approach to allowing events to unfold, how is the show going so far - 6 episodes in? Well, entertaining, but not compelling would be my take on it. Compared to a similarly themed series - Black Summer - it is more measured, but less addictive. Perhaps this is due to dropping one a week rather than the whole season at once to binge. Maybe those that have been able to hold off until the last episode is aired will benefit from their patience, but I think the frenetic quality that permeates Black Summer does serve this genre well. I appreciate the melancholic mood the producers have created for this show, but there isn't much of a feeling of menace from a world that has been turned on its head.

The threat of death around every corner is just not that evident thus far.

Ultimately, this is a show worth watching and holds more promise than Walking Dead (or any of its offshoots), but whilst it ticks a few of the boxes we expect from a show of this sort, it lacks much of the suspense and tension.