The Last of Us viewers are praising how well the characters from the game have transitioned to TV

The Last Of Us series is finally here, and fans can't get over how well video game characters Joel and Ellie have transitioned to TV.

The highly-anticipated series debuted last night (15 January) in the US and at 2am local time in the UK, finally introducing fans to Joel and Ellie as brought to life by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.

The series follows the two characters who have so far escaped a deadly virus that has turned much of humanity into zombie-like creatures, but they face a tough challenge as they have to continue avoiding danger while making their way across the US.

Their story is told across nine episodes available on HBO in the US and on Sky Atlantic in the UK, but it's based on the hugely popular video game of the same name released in 2013.

We've only seen the first episode of the show so far, but already fans are raving about how the creators have honoured the video game both in the story and the characters.

After watching the first episode, one fan wrote: "Watching The Last of Us [right now]. Really good so far. Refreshing to see a video game TV show actually stick to the source material."

Another commented: "The Last Of Us show proves videos games can have a good TV adaptation."

The creators of the show faced quite the challenge when it came to casting protagonists Joel and Ellie; two characters fans formed strong connections with after sharing their journey in the video game.

HBO

However, fans seem to agree that Pascal and Ramsey are the perfect choices for the roles - despite the fact neither of them had actually played the game before being given the job.

Speaking to Augustman, both stars admitted they'd never played The Last Of Us, but they were actually encouraged by the show's creators to 'keep it that way'.

Ramsay explained: "[The producers] wanted to protect me and they didn’t want me to feel I had to copy the game and Ashley [Johnson's] iconic Ellie. Also, I think there was an element of trust that they put in us."

Though they were encouraged not to copy the characters in the game, fans have celebrated Pascal and Ramsay's performances and said they 'set the standard' for video game adaptations.

@GabrielDivina2/Twitter

"Craig Mazin and the writers really nailed translating the video games and the characters therein to a TV show," one fan wrote on Twitter, adding: "If they keep this is up, The Last of Us will definitely be the standard for video game to movie or TV show adaptations for sure."

Another commented: "I'm so happy The Last Of Us TV show seems so faithful to the video game adaptation. I love the changes made in episode 1 which ultimately stayed faithful to the core of the characters. The best part is, if you close your eyes... and listen. It's the game 8/10."

The Last Of Us episode one is available to stream on HBO Max and NOW TV now.