The Last of Us Season Finale Earns Series High Ratings Against Oscars

Even The Oscars couldn’t stop the juggernaut that is The Last of Us. Fans showed up in droves to watch the Season 1 finale of The Last of Us on HBO and HBO Max, even with the 95th Academy Awards airing as counterprogramming on ABC. Some fans wondered why HBO didn’t choose to air the big finale of The Last of Us’ first season early, similar to what it did when Episode 5 debuted two days early on HBO Max to avoid going up against the Super Bowl. Now, HBO is touting the high ratings The Last of Us delivered for its season finale.

8.2 million viewers tuned in to HBO Max and linear telecasts to watch the Season 1 finale of The Last of Us, according to Nielsen and first-party data. The first six episodes of The Last of Us averaged 30.4 million viewers, with the first episode approaching 40 million viewers in the U.S. The Last of Us also has another accolade to boast about, as the series based on the hit Sony video game is now the most-watched show in the history of HBO Max in both Europe and Latin America.

HBO Reveals The Last of Us Weekly Premiere Viewership

Along with the number of viewers that watched The Last of Us finale, HBO also released an episodic breakdown of the show’s weekly viewership. Surprisingly, each week the number of viewers increased and increased. Episode 1 on January 15th drew 4.7 million viewers; Episode 2 on January 22nd drew 5.7 million viewers; Episode 3 on January 29th drew 6.4 million viewers; Episode 5 was dropped early, so the 11.6 million viewers between February 10-12th includes data from Friday to Sunday; Episode 6 on February 19th drew 7.8 million viewers; Episode 7 on February 26th drew 7.7 million viewers; Episode 8 on March 5th drew 8.1 million viewers; and of course, Episode 9, the season finale of The Last of Us, drew 8.2 million viewers.

The Last of Us Part 2 Game Will Span Multiple Episodes

The Last of Us showrunners confirmed the next installment of the video game series, The Last of Us: Part 2, will be adapted across multiple seasons of the TV show. While the issue has been addressed throughout The Last of Us Season 1’s run, there’s understandably been a major surge in curiosity following The Last of Us Season 1 Finale, which ended on a sudden, unexpected note, that left fans burning to know what comes next. 

When CG asked The Last of Us Showrunner Craig Mazin and writer (and game co-creator) Neil Druckmann directly if The Last of Us: Part 2 would be able to fit into a single season of the HBO series (like the first game did), Mazin said unequivocably, “No. No way.” 

Neil Druckmann followed that up by letting it be known, officially, that the story of The Last of Us Season 2 will be “more than one season.” 

The Last of Us Season 1 is now streaming on HBO Max.