"The Last of Us" is the name of the survival series on HBO's  a nine-part drama based on the beloved video game about the end of the world.

Image Credit- Google

A parasitic fungus has turned most of the human population into bloodsucking zombies, leaving the rest of humanity to fight the infected - and each other.

Image Credit- Google

But "The Last of Us," which premieres Sunday with a 90-minute episode, is a dignified drama based on an iconic video game.

Image Credit- Google

With quality differences that put the story in a league of its own. That's not to say that gruesome fight scenes are a bad thing.

Image Credit- Google

Or that this version of "The Last of Us" is a bland story. The living undergo a gruesome transformation when bitten by an infected and spewing nectar is gruesome entertainment.

Image Credit- Google

Still, what's in the writing, production and performance is an underlying beauty and grace that makes the grim reality of this decaying world a little less scary.

Image Credit- Google

Whether it's sunlight through a dingy window that fades into faded wallpaper or a subtle, silent tone The exquisite design shines.

Image Credit- Google

There's a tenderness to this hellscape, and the meaningful relationships between the characters make us care about them from the first few moments of the show.

Image Credit- Google

Pedro Pascal knocks it out of the park as survivor Joel, a loving single father who loses everything in the first few days of the 2003 outbreak.

Image Credit- Google

Twenty years later, he's a straw man with killer instincts and sharpshooter skills.

Image Credit- Google