The Last of Us Soars to New Series High Ahead of Finale
Paul Dailly
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The Last of Us continues to impress for HBO.
The cable network announced that The Last of Us Season 1 Episode 8 managed 8.1 million viewers across its linear airing and HBO Max viewing on Sunday.
Viewing is based on Nielsen and first-party data, according to HBO.
The viewing is up 74% vs. the premiere night audience for The Last of Us Season 1 Episode 1 in January.
HBO notes that the average audience for the first five episodes of The Last of Us Season 1 is now approaching 30 million viewers across all platforms.
The series is a bonafide hit, and the rising viewership throughout the first season has been impressive.
It makes you wonder how big the numbers will be for The Last of Us Season 1 Episode 9 -- and beyond.
The Last of Us has been renewed for Season 2, so this journey is not ending soon.
The series from co-creators Craig Mazin (Emmy® Award-winning creator of HBO's Chernobyl) and Neil Druckmann (creator and writer of the award-winning The Last of Us franchise and Naughty Dog Co-President) marks HBO's second-largest debut, behind only House of the Dragon.
"Craig and Neil, alongside EP Carolyn Strauss, and the rest of our phenomenal cast and crew, have defined a genre with their masterful debut season of The Last of Us," said Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming, Head of HBO Drama Series and Films when the show landed a renewal in January.
"After pulling off this unforgettable first season, I can't wait to watch this team outshine themselves again with season two."
"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.
"The collaboration with Craig Mazin, our incredible cast & crew, and HBO exceeded my already high expectations."
"Now we have the absolute pleasure of being able to do it again with season two! On behalf of everyone at Naughty Dog & PlayStation, thank you!"
"I'm so grateful to Neil Druckmann and HBO for our partnership, and I'm even more grateful to the millions of people who have joined us on this journey," said executive producer Craig Mazin.
"The audience has given us the chance to continue, and as a fan of the characters and world Neil and Naughty Dog created, I couldn't be more ready to dive back in."
What are your thoughts on the numbers?
Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.
