‘The Last of Us’ Season 2 Is Already More Popular Than Season 1, According to Official Viewership Figures

Season 2 of HBO’s The Last of Us is finally here and fans are diving back into the post-apocalyptic, fungus-filled world for a second time around. The build-up to Season 2 has been hampered by some controversial changes to the original video game, The Last of Us: Part II. But, the official viewership figures for the Season 2 premiere are in, and it goes to show that a few angry fans can’t detract from great TV. In fact, Season 2 is already more popular than the first.

According to statistics released by Variety, The Last of Us Season 2’s premiere was far more successful than Season 1’s. In fact, a whopping 5.3 million viewers tuned in to watch the premiere as it aired on HBO and Max on Sunday night. That’s a staggering 13% increase from Season 1’s premiere. The figures combine the Nielsen Company’s measurement of live HBO viewers during the premiere, as well as those who streamed the premiere episode on Max on the opening night. As well as having a massive Season 2 debut, the return of The Last of Us caused over 150% more viewers to watch Season 1 in the week before the show’s return.

The Last of Us was already a massive hit for HBO, with Season 1 being the second-most watched HBO premiere when it was released in 2023. The boost in ratings for Season 2 also follows the trend of snowballing viewers. Following the Season 1 premiere, the show continued to rake in additional viewers each week. Season 1, Episode 2 drew in 5.7 million viewers, before jumping to a shocking 8.2 million for the Season 1 finale.

Why Are Fans Upset With ‘The Last of Us’ Season 2?

There are few fan bases more “passionate” than gamers, and The Last of Us fans are no different. Season 1 of The Last of Us was the target of a lot of criticism from hardcore fans of the games, who mainly took issue with Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey’s casting as Joel and Ellie, respectively. While the pair managed to win over the large number of fans, there are still some who stubbornly cling on to their anger.

Season 2 was always going to be more controversial. The second season is based off the sequel game, The Last of Us: Part II, which itself was controversial when it was released in 2020, predominantly due to a major narrative choice (which won’t be spoiled in this article). As promotional materials for Season 2 were revealed, the upset fans from Season 1 took further issue with HBO’s adaptation. This time, criticism was targeted towards Kaitlyn Dever’s casting as Abby. In the video game, Abby is an athletic and muscular antagonist. But, showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann made the decision to alter Abby’s appearance in HBO’s adaptation. While it doesn’t affect the plot, and Dever delivered a great performance in the Season 2 premiere, there will always be some who get frustrated when an adaptation isn’t 100% faithful. New episodes of The Last of Us release weekly on HBO and Max.

Source: Variety