What did ‘The Last of Us’ get right and wrong about Salt Lake City?

SALT LAKE CITY — Many Utahns took notice of Sunday night’s season finale of “The Last of Us,” as it put the state capital on the center stage.

The HBO show stuck to the storyline of the massively successful video game with the same name, as main characters Joel (played by Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (played by Bella Ramsey) end their cross-country journey in a post-apocalyptic Salt Lake City for one last twist in the season. Don’t worry, there won’t be any spoilers here.

Google Trends data shows that Utah tied with Washington as the top state searching the show Sunday night and Monday morning. Salt Lakers also placed second among U.S. cities, according to the data.

But fans were also quick to point out Salt Lake City details included in the finale. Here’s a look at what the show creators got right and wrong.

Right buildings, wrong locations

It’s worth pointing out that “The Last of Us” was never actually shot in Salt Lake City. Most of the show was filmed in Alberta, Canada, according to IMDB. That means the crew had to rely on pictures that were digitally added so that viewers believe the characters were walking around Utah.

It’s clear they got the right buildings. There are several downtown skyscrapers prominently displayed in the background, as well as the Salt Lake Temple and the Utah Capitol. They even got the Wasatch Mountain peaks correct in several scenes.

Yet, fans noticed the building locations were a little off. One shot seems to use the view from the Triad Center but the Wells Fargo Building is on the wrong side of the temple. There’s also a baseball field in the foreground, which may or may not be a nod to the West High School field that’s a few blocks north of the Triad Center.

Here’s a side-by-side look at SLC’s big introduction in “The Last of Us” and SLC as seen from @KSL5TV Broadcast House. Wonder where they got the inspiration… 🤔 😄 https://t.co/IMT6W8C5vU

— Sean Moody 🎥🎙📝📺 (@SeanMoodyNews) March 13, 2023

There is also no St. Mary’s Hospital, which serves as the pivotal setting for the episode. That said, it’s not uncommon for video games, movies or TV shows to come up with fictional businesses to avoid copyright issues. There is a St. Mary’s neighborhood in Salt Lake City and a St. Mark’s Hospital in Millcreek.

Overall, someone did their Salt Lake City architecture homework.

Post-2003 construction

OK, this is more of a plot hole.

Another detail is the buildings constructed after the world is forever changed. Collider points out that the show’s official “outbreak day” — when a fungus essentially turns humans into zombies — is Sept. 26, 2003.

This means that most features, like the Utah Capitol, the Church Office Building and the World Trade Center Utah would have existed in Salt Lake City at this time. But there are several downtown buildings featured in the show that wouldn’t have existed, such as 222 Main (completed in 2009), 99 West (2010) and 111 Main (2016).

Were they built despite the apocalypse? We’ll never know.

The Salt Lake Temple is under construction in The Last of Us even though the world ended in 2003.

— Joshua J. Prince (@JoshuaJPrince) March 13, 2023

Fans also noticed Sunday that the Salt Lake Temple is under construction in the show. The massive Temple Square renovation project began at the start of 2020. It’s also worth noting that the temple isn’t under construction in the video game, which was released in 2013.

These post-2003 changes could also explain the tunnel that Joel and Ellie walk through in the episode. There was one constructed as a part of the renovation project.

What about the giraffes?

Lastly, the show’s fans loved that the giraffes roaming through Salt Lake City in the video game were included in the television adaptation.

#thelastofus SPOILERS
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giraffes in the last of us show pic.twitter.com/yqZwLDxSZT

— tony | MANDO + TBB SPOILERS (@KENOBlDJARlN) March 13, 2023

So where did they come from? The obvious leading theory is that they broke out of Utah’s Hogle Zoo and became wildlife fixtures in this post-apocalyptic landscape. Zoo officials noticed this too, tweeting photos of the zoo’s current giraffe herd Sunday night, in honor of the scene.

Officials also noted that it’s possible that these giraffes were the same herd that existed in 2003.

“Giraffes can live up to 30 years under human care and up to 25 in the wild,” the zoo tweeted in response to an online question.

In honor of The Last of Us, and THE giraffe scene, and being in Salt Lake, here are some members of our herd.
🦒🫶#TheLastOfUs #giraffe #utah pic.twitter.com/rDxMNFtlij

— Utah's Hogle Zoo (@HogleZoo) March 13, 2023

The show has been renewed for a second season, which will center on the storyline of the video game’s sequel released in 2020. Variety reports it will expand on the storyline to allow for more than just two seasons.

There is at least one scene in the sequel that flashes back to Salt Lake City; however, we may never know what happened to the other zoo animals.