Turns out, people are really into The Last of Us.
The HBO series based on the video games debuted last week to become the premium network’s second most-watched season premiere since 2010 with 4.7 million viewers.
The Last of Us Premiere Was A Success
Airing on January 15, the premiere episode introduced fans to Pedro Pascal as Joel, Bella Ramsey as Ellie, Gabriel Luna as Tommy, and Anna Torv as Tess. Fans of the franchise have already praised the show for staying true to the games, which is quite a feat in itself.
The key to it all. #TheLastOfUs pic.twitter.com/6ckcge69fR
— The Last of Us (@TheLastofUsHBO) January 17, 2023
In addition to those impressive viewer numbers, it’s reported that the trailer and teaser racked up over 100 million views across the globe and the premiere quickly became the number-one show on Apple’s TV and Film chart within 24 hours of airing.
Both TV and game critics have praised the show for being true to the games, yet still approachable for those who may not have played them. TIME called it “skillfully, meticulously, and lovingly constructed” while Rolling Stone said it made the reviewer “forget that it’s based on a video game.”
me watching the last of us and going “this happened in the game too” every 5 seconds pic.twitter.com/CBoYEb0lHS
— ? (@ctrlvcrs) January 16, 2023
Our own Tina Beier gave a rave review on that first episode, calling it “a great balance of homages to the original source material and taking its own path.”
“We are thrilled to see fans of the series and game alike experience this iconic story in a new way, and we extend our gratitude to them for helping to make it a success,” Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO for HBO and HBO Max content, said in a press release.
between The Last Of Us,
And the game 😭 sad scene for everyone, pic.twitter.com/nRh23Ss1OY
— Gaming ΔOX❑ (@AmerAme68905783) January 17, 2023
And if you’re wondering what HBO’s most-watched premiere in history is, you might be interested to know that it’s a show that only released last year: the Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon. And while the Game of Thrones franchise is pretty much untouchable at this stage, it will be exciting to see just how much further The Last of Us can go from here.
The Last of Us airs on Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO with the finale hitting us hard on March 12 of this year.
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