After one of the biggest debuts in the history of HBO, The Last of Us is still going strong by getting the biggest jump in viewership the network has ever seen.
Already a massive hit and cultural touchstone, The Last of Us came out of the gates blazing to widespread critical acclaim, leading to one of the most-watched first episodes ever for HBO.
With so many people watching, curious viewers who caught the first episode days after it released, and such strong word of mouth, it seemed almost a certainty that the second episode would see a big growth of viewers.
According to HBO, that jump in viewership has been astounding, even for the cable giant’s standards.
The Last of Us gets biggest viewership bump in HBO history
According to Geoff Keighley, HBO has reported that TLOU episode 2 brought in 5.7 million viewers when it premiered on Sunday night. This is a 22% increase from the series’ first episode, which was seen by 4.7 million viewers on its premiere night.
That 4.7 million debut was already historic for HBO, as it marked the biggest debut for a new series in the network in the last decade along with the Game of Thrones spinoff, The House of the Dragon.
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But this 22% increase is the biggest boost of viewership between a debut and second episode for a new series in the history of HBO.
Episode 2 of THE LAST OF US tallied 5.7 million viewers Sunday night, up 22% from the series debut. This marks the largest week 2 audience growth for an HBO Original drama series in the history of the network.Episode 1 is now up to 18 million viewers. pic.twitter.com/qTnPetz1bH
— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) January 23, 2023
With how acclaimed The Last of Us is and how many viewers are continuing to pour in every week, it seems almost inevitable that the show will be renewed for a second season and beyond.
Season 2 is rumored to cover the plot of The Last of Us Part II, which divided many fans of the original game because of its new characters and divisive plot structure.
The Last of Us Episode 3 will be available to watch on January 29 in the US and January 30 in the UK. You can check out the rest of our coverage here, and the trailer for the weeks ahead here.