Last Of Us Episode 2 Breaks All-Time HBO Audience Record

A new Nielsen report shows The Last of Us episode 2 has seen a drastic increase in viewership since episode 1, a record for an HBO original drama.

The Last of Us continues to grow in popularity as episode 2, “Infected,” yields a massive increase in viewership from last week’s series premiere. HBO’s hugely anticipated adaptation of the beloved PlayStation game of the same name has received widespread acclaim, already establishing itself as one of the network’s foremost series alongside its Game of Thrones spinoff, House of the Dragon. The power of word-of-mouth has bolstered viewing figures as the show proves to be a worthy adaptation of the apocalypse-set game.

A recent Nielsen report (via Variety) documents the very impressive debut ratings that The Last of Us generated in its first episode, “When You’re Lost in the Darkness,” which opened to 4.7 million viewers in the U.S. across HBO and linear telecasts. The report has revealed a whopping episode 2 jump of 22% with a total of 5.7 million viewers, the largest ever increase for an HBO original drama series between its first and second episodes. Also disclosed were the viewing figures for episode 1 after a whole week of availability on streaming, landing the current total at an incredible 18 million viewers – nearly four times the number of its premiere night audience. This trend seems to continue, meaning episode 2 could break 20 million viewers after a week of availability.

Related: Where Joel & Ellie Are Going At The End Of Last Of Us Episode 2

Will The Last Of Us Surpass House Of The Dragon’s Numbers?

Before The Last of Us, House of the Dragon was HBO’s unrivaled flagship original drama series. Despite a massive premiere for the Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey-led series, it fell short of the Game of Thrones spinoff’s premiere, which raked in nearly 10 million nightly viewers, a record for an HBO debut. House of the Dragon has the advantage of being a spinoff of one of HBO’s all-time most popular series, as well as being linked to George R. R. Martin’s hugely popular A Song of Ice and Fire series of books. The fantasy show proved to be a massive success for HBO, with an episode average of 29 million viewers after a week of release; its success is sure to pave the way for a fleet of other spinoffs in the Game of Thrones universe.

Though House of the Dragon’s huge viewership will be tough to overcome, The Last of Us has already laid out the groundwork to produce similar figures. Many video game fans would likely have been apprehensive about a television series remake given the general track record of video game adaptations, even with Chernobyl’s Craig Mazin at the helm. However, given the overwhelmingly positive audience response after its initial two episodes, word of mouth may help catapult ratings even further. With 18 million viewers after a week of the premiere’s release, there is still a long way to go before reaching House of the Dragon’s 29 million average. Still, The Last of Us could feasibly reach this figure by maintaining its current high standard of storytelling and production.

The Last Of Us Exceeds Expectations As A Video Game Adaptation

As previously mentioned, video game adaptations fare poorly in the film and television industries. Recent examples include the universally berated Netflix series Resident Evil and the Tom Holland-led film adaptation of Uncharted, which was similarly flamed. The Last of Us looks to have finally ended this trope, with overwhelmingly positive acclaim from critics and general audiences alike. There are a great many differences between telling stories for games and the screen, which is likely why so many previous attempts have failed miserably; The Last of Us creators have seemingly found a middle-ground where the show maintains loyalty to the video game’s narrative while also being sure to modify elements where necessary to suit a television narrative and a 2023 context.

Source: Nielsen via Variety