The first episode of HBO's The Last of Us was watched by 4.7 million viewers, making it the second biggest debut on the network since 2010's Boardwalk Empire. Only the debut of House of the Dragon has done better during that same timeframe, which pulled in 9.986 million views. HBO explained the Sunday night viewership generally represents 20 to 40 per cent of "the show’s total gross audience per episode".
Commenting on the achievement, producers Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann said: "Our focus was simply to make the best possible adaptation of this beloved story for as big an audience as we could. We are overjoyed to see how many fans, both old and new, have welcomed The Last of Us into their homes and their hearts." Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO, then added his own thanks and looks "forward to fans around the world enjoying the rest of the season".
It's a fantastic start for the TV series, which has another eight episodes to run before a second season comes into play. Given how successful the debut episode has been, we'd be surprised not to see The Last of Us: Part II turned into a TV series in the coming years as long as what comes next remains of a high quality and retains viewers.
Impressions across Push Square have been extremely positive as well; almost 60 per cent of you voted to say the first episode was "excellent". The series continues on Sunday night with episode two, so if you need to know Where to Watch The Last of Us TV Show, click the link.
[source deadline.com]
Comments 35
House of the Dragon was so good. Can’t wait for season 2.
Really enjoyed TLoU too.
Will be curious to see how the general public reacts to Seasons 2 and 3 - since Neil said he'd split Part II into two seasons.
@ItsBritneyB_tch "HotD" was bloody incredible. I came so close to not watching it at all after what happened with "GoT".
@Orpheus79V The HBO viewing public is used to lead characters getting unceremoniously offed after "Game of Thrones" and "Boardwalk Empire". The backlash won't be nearly as bad.
The first epispde was excellent. Looking forward to the rest. Speaking of a season 2 being based on the game, If they thought the reaction to what happens at the beginning of 2 was bad from gamers. Wait until you have millions of casuals fall in love with him.
@starbuck2212 Yeah, especially now we know a cure isn’t even possible. It makes Joel’s decision at the end of the game absolutely the right one.
@LN78 That's a good point.
@LN78 yeah me too. I’ve only seen the final episode once in full. On repeat viewings I turn it off when Dany gives her speech on the steps of the Red Keep. That’s the ‘real’ ending for me lol
My wife and I watched the first episode last night. It was wonderful. I have high expectations for the show and, thus far, they have been met.
Loved the first episode. Good luck turning Part 2 into a TV series though. I can't see how that works at all without some significant changes
@ItsBritneyB_tch Tbf when the guy said that it was 1968. It’s now 2023 in the show so I’m sure they could have the technology now.
@ItsBritneyB_tch exactly the first thing I thought when he said that was that they'd made Ellie being a cure redundant within the first few minutes lol
@Angelus3K it's 2023 but it's 20 years post apocalyptic where the majority of the human population is either dead or infected so the chances of their being a whole bunch of incredibly intelligent scientists is pretty slim lol
@Would_you_kindly oh yea good point lol.
@Angelus3K not necessarily the fact the scientist said this in 1960s doesn't mean that the research went that way.
Just like we have seen in the real world, most companies do not care about a pandemic but only if they can profit off and thus why no one was prepared for covid.
We all knew something like this would happen but with no money to be made in just research no one cared.
First episode is phenomenal. Haven’t played TLoU in years but this is triggering my nostalgia in such a way that I think I’m gonna have to make a run through both games after I finish up Miles Morales.
Midnight Suns gets put on hold yet again lol
I don't think I will be watching as I played both games and have no interest in seeing the story unfold again.
@ItsBritneyB_tch 100%.
@SamMR okay. there was literally no need to comment that. but of course u have to make a pointless statement about how your not gonna watch it, like every other article, i call you out on hate and other crap, just dont watch it and move on with your life easy peasy
@LN78 @ItsBritneyB_tch oh i found house of dragons so boring, think i got to about episode 5 or 6 and never went back, i was just waiting for it to kick off which it never did. I was so dissapointed with it was really looking forward to it. The characters were just boring and story was just bland.
Did enjoy the last of us first episode though hopefully it continues to impress.
A shame it's not on Netflix, would have been available to more people across the world.
Was an excellent episode in any case
@Daleaf That's a damn shame. I guess everyone's attention span is different - I thought Viserys was the most fascinating character in the entire franchise to date. The show was worth watching just for Paddy Considine's amazing performance, honestly.
@Daleaf I watched the first five episodes back to back and the last five episodes (after the time jump) back to back and I’m glad I watched it that way, rather than week by week. I was completely absorbed by it.
I enjoyed the slow burn as you witness this dysfunctional family tear itself apart. You can see where the story is heading and you know there will be bloodshed but you still hope everyone will work it out and get along. But by the end of the season you realise there’s no stopping what’s about to happen and all hell is going to break loose. Season 2 is going to be insane. Already counting down the days haha
I agree with @LN78 Paddy Considine gave a masterclass performance as an ailing King Viserys. Highlight of the season for me. He deserves to win all the awards for that performance. Ramin Djawadi is also on top form as usual with an excellent score. One of his best imo.
@ItsBritneyB_tch yea i was watching it weekly, i might go back and give it another go at dome point, maybe before the 2nd season comes out.
I get that sometimes start watching something dont like it then go back and love it. Same thing happened woth better call saul couldnt get into it at all, then once around 4 seasons were out went back and was totally hookex to it.
Ratings would’ve been better if it didn’t compete against NFL Sunday Night. Fantastic first episode!
Kinda dissapointed in the first episode. Everything went a little to fast (I like the slow burn) and the post apocalyptic setting looks not really high qulity. The fireflies hideout looked like a theatre stage I dunno.
The bombing attack, which coincidentally freed Tess was..... really convinient.
Yeah and I dont like the camera work, apart from the car chase scene everything felt so static and like fron the 90s.
@LN78
It helps that there is source material for House of the Dragon. GoT run out of it because they never thought the books should be finished first.
@Angelus3K
The pandemic happened in 2003 in the world and it's killed pretty much everyone inside 20years. As he said in the 1968 show, fungus react different to bacteria and virus'.
@SolaceCreed I'm pretty sure that Dan and Dave just assumed (or maybe they were promised) that the books would be written by the time they got around to making that part of the show. Here we are years later and "The Winds of Winter" still isn't finished. I doubt the story will ever be completed, honestly.
@LN78
Trouble is, it was well known that the GRRM is a VERY slow writer. All the books released since have had another writer helping him finish it or he just sticks his name on it with theirs.
They decided to go ahead and adapt the books, knowing they'd probably catch him up before he released Winds of Winter and yet were somehow surprised they'd run out of source. HBO didn't play it very smart. They decided to do the ending of the show differently to how GRRM is planning the books so he could finish them without spoilers for the readers, yet he's still not bothered by finishing it lol.
@SolaceCreed I think if they hadn't been in such a hurry to get onto other projects and taken HBO's offer to let other producers run the show for another 3 or 4 seasons then it would've been a different picture. Rampant egos all around, unfortunately.
The real question is: will TLoU Part III be released on consoles before the (highly speculative) third season of the TV show, or will the show go its own way after covering Part II? We know how that turned out last time someone tried with a well-known property...
@LN78
Very true
"Drugs. I sell hardcore drugs."
She said it!
Good first episode tbh. Joel was spot on as was Tess and Marlene and Tommy.
Ellie though obviously has never played or seen the game. Completely and utterly off the mark. She played it like some rabid dog from Oliver, not the everyday girl next door which she is at the start of the story.
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