Even while competing with the Oscars airing at the same time, the series has broken its own viewership record.
The first season of hit show The Last of Us ended with its ninth episode last Sunday night, released during ABC’s telecast of the 95th Academy Awards.
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The combined number of viewers from HBO’s cable channel and its streaming service through the night reached 8.2 million. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. also shared that the series’ first six episodes are averaging 30.4 million viewers.
“It’s not just about the beautiful parts of love. It’s also about the dark side.”#TheLastOfUs cast and showrunners @clmazin & @neil_druckmann break down the season finale, discussing Joel and Ellie’s vulnerable moments and how Joel’s big decision impacts the world around him. pic.twitter.com/rwWsNWh70A
— The Last of Us (@TheLastofUsHBO) March 15, 2023
In Europe and Latin America, The Last of Us has become the most watched show in HBO Max’s history, with the debut episode closing in on 40 million viewers.
When the series began in January, it followed House of the Dragon as the second-most watched HBO premiere in over a decade. Today, its audience has grown by 74.5 percent since then.
If the average of 30.4 million viewers holds out for the final three episodes, The Last of Us is set to beat House of the Dragon’s viewership which averaged 29 million last year.
Though it was already highly anticipated as the first screen adaptation of its source material (the video game of the same name), more and more people tuned in due to the massive support and raving reviews it has received.
The series already got an early renewal for a second season when only the first two episodes had aired.
“I’m humbled, honored, and frankly overwhelmed that so many people have tuned in and connected with our retelling of Joel and Ellie’s journey,” said executive producer Neil Druckmann, who was also the writer and creative director of the game.
“The collaboration with Craig Mazin, our incredible cast and crew, and HBO exceeded my already high expectations.”
Druckmann and Mazin have confirmed that they intend to stretch the sequel of the game into more than one season.
Banner image via Instagram @thelastofus.
