Sweet Tooth Fans Need to Watch This HBO Series Next

After three seasons, Netflix's Sweet Tooth has come to a close. The Jeff Lemire comic book adaptation gained critical acclaim for its top-notch performances and unique blend of family-friendly adventure and dark themes and plots that naturally come with a post-apocalyptic setting. Audiences quickly fell in love with its protagonists, a deer-boy hybrid named Gus and a former football player named Tommy "Big Man" Jepperd, as they journeyed across the country to look for Gus's long-lost mother. While their story has reached its end, there's another popular series just beginning that should be next on fans' watch list: HBO's The Last of Us.

Based on the beloved video game of the same name, The Last of Us debuted its first season in 2023 and quickly gained a reputation as one of the best video game adaptations of all time. The show's superb acting, storytelling and visual effects ensured its appeal beyond its original fan base, and viewers are eagerly awaiting its second season. Although there's currently only one game in the series left to adapt, fans expect The Last of Us Part II could span more than one season, and there's a third installment in the works, meaning there's plenty to look forward to. The HBO series is aimed at a more mature audience, but its similar premise, characters and themes will surely be intriguing to Sweet Tooth fans.

Sweet Tooth and The Last of Us Have the Same Basic Premise

The specifics may be vastly different, but Sweet Tooth and The Last of Us have quite similar beginnings. Both stories are set in post-apocalyptic futures, where the world has been devastated by a deadly disease and society has largely broken down. In Sweet Tooth, this disease is simply nicknamed "the Sick" and, apart from a couple of notable quirks, has flu-like symptoms. Conversely, The Last of Us' illness is caused by a mutant fungus and turns its victims into violent, zombie-like creatures. Both stories center on a jaded man with a tragic backstory accompanying an optimistic child who may hold the cure to the disease across the continental United States, encountering many dangerous and interesting people along the way. Despite the man's initial reluctance, he bonds with the child during the road trip, and their relationship serves as the emotional crux of the show.

As evidenced by this synopsis, The Last of Us and Sweet Tooth are both prime examples of the "badass and child" trope, which has been especially popular in sci-fi and fantasy shows over the last few years. That said, each show offers a unique take on the trope and explores different themes, and both are thought-provoking in their own way. Gus and Jepperd are brought together by chance, and despite his insistence that he'll only take Gus part of the way, Jepperd keeps extending their time together as he grows to care for the deer boy and finds redemption. In contrast, Joel Miller makes a deal with a rebel cell called the Fireflies to bring Ellie to one of their facilities in exchange for a working truck so he can go and find his brother. However, even with his other motives, Joel can't help but care about Ellie as he looks after her. Sweet Tooth fans will surely appreciate Joel and Ellie's story, knowing that it follows a similar pattern to Gus and Jepperd's without repeating it beat-for-beat.

Gus and Ellie Are Bright Spots in Otherwise Dark Worlds

Sweet Tooth's Gus and The Last of Us' Ellie are the child protagonists of their respective shows, and both serve similar functions. Aside from their importance to potentially curing the infections that have wrecked their worlds, they're also both kids who've never left home before and are excited to venture outside for the first time. Although Ellie is a few years older than Gus and more aware of the dangers that lie beyond, she still shares his childlike wonder about the outside world and finds happiness in the little things, like a book of puns she finds. She's also quick to connect with other kids, and while she has a feisty edge, the way she brings joy to others makes Ellie quite endearing.

The Last of Us and Sweet Tooth also explore the loss of innocence through Ellie and Gus, with both characters facing some truly monstrous foes who threaten to bring out the worst in them. As a hybrid, Gus is subjected to humanity's prejudice against his kind, who they blame for the Sick. Scientists also kill hybrids to create treatments for the Sick, and Gus must later reckon with the question of whether humanity is even worth saving. In contrast, Ellie is no different from anyone else on the surface, but she's still a vulnerable young girl in a cruel world, and her status as the only person known to be immune to the Cordyceps infection makes her a target. Ellie has already gone through some terrible things when audiences meet her, but unfortunately, her toughest trials are still ahead of her. Much like Gus, the fate of humanity is in Ellie's hands, and it's fascinating to see how that affects her character growth.

Jepperd and Joel Are Reluctant Guardians Who Find New Purpose

Much like their wards, Sweet Tooth's Jepperd and The Last of Us' Joel have similar roles to play and parallel backstories to boot. While fans don't learn about it until Sweet Tooth's Season 1 finale, Jepperd had a wife and hybrid son who went missing shortly after the outbreak of the Sick. He spends an indeterminate amount of time trying to find them, only to discover they died. Likewise, audiences learn almost immediately that Joel lost his daughter, Sarah, in the chaos that followed the Cordyceps outbreak. As a result, both men become disillusioned with the world and lack purpose until Gus and Ellie come into their lives and give them something to fight for. Jepperd and Joel try not to care about their young charges but are driven to protect Gus and Ellie the way they couldn't protect their own kids.

As similar as they are, Joel and Jepperd's character trajectories diverge when it comes to the themes they explore. For Jepperd, his arc is largely about redemption. He became a Last Man and did horrible things to try to find his wife and son, and multiple characters question whether he's fit to look after Gus. That said, Jepperd is remorseful and truly does just want what's best for the boy, leading him to become a better man. As for Joel, his story takes a darker path as the narrative tests how far he will go to keep Ellie safe. Joel makes some dubious decisions during his journey, but his motives remain understandable throughout the show.

The Last of Us and Sweet Tooth Ground Their Post-Apocalyptic Stories in Human Connection

The worlds of Sweet Tooth and The Last of Us are downright frightening at times, but through their main duos and some of the friends they meet along the way, both shows focus on the emotional bonds forged under such dire circumstances. The Last of Us definitely leans more into horror as Joel and Ellie face off against violent monsters and dangerous people, but, like Gus and Jepperd, they know that they can rely on each other to make it through. Their similar personalities to their Sweet Tooth equivalents even give them a matching dynamic, with Jepperd and Joel being the world-weary protectors and Gus and Ellie piercing their gruff exteriors with their playfulness. In both series, this relationship makes a perfect emotional throughline that strongly resonates with viewers.

At the same time, The Last of Us' mature tone allows it to examine things that Sweet Tooth doesn't due to its younger target audience. While it's generally a good thing when characters love and take care of each other, the HBO series also explores the dark side of this idea, with Joel and Ellie pushed to do increasingly difficult and questionable deeds to keep the other safe. Sweet Tooth keeps things a little more black-and-white, with its main characters recognizing when they've done something wrong and making amends as best they can while its antagonists show little to no remorse for their evil actions. The Last of Us may not be as wholesome as Sweet Tooth, but its complex characters and grounded storytelling in a post-apocalyptic setting make it a great choice for fans looking for their next favorite show.