After two episodes and record breaking premiere numbers, HBO has renewed their newest hit, The Last of Us, for a second season.
Only two episodes into its first season, the series has garnered over 22 million viewers on its first episode alone across HBO and HBO Max, the network’s second largest debut after “House of the Dragon.” Episode two racked up over 1 million new viewers, a 22% jump in viewership which is the largest week two audience increase in HBO history.
In addition to the statistics, The Last of Us has earned rave reviews, with a 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes and has been #1 trending on Twitter during the premiere of the first episode. The trailers for the series alone have racked up 100 million global views.
RELATED | “The Last of Us” Episode ‘Infected’ Recap: I’m Shipping Out to Boston
“One sees the near future in which this show winds up among television’s best,” Variety raved. CNN hailed it as, “Absolutely fearless and unflinching, creating horrifying scenarios and moments that can be alternately touching and utterly tragic,” while IGN called it, “A brilliant retelling of one of video games’ most beloved stories.”
Creator and executive producer Neil Druckmann said, “I’m humbled, honored and frankly overwhelmed that so many people have tuned in and connected with our retelling of Joel and Ellie’s journey. Now we have the absolute pleasure of being able to do it again with season two!” “After pulling off this unforgettable first season, I can’t wait to watch this team outshine themselves with season two,” said HBO Vice President Francesca Orsi.
Created by Druckmann and Emmy winner Craig Mazin (“Chernobyl”) and based on the acclaimed Playstation video game created by Naughty Dog, “The Last of Us” stars Pedro Pascal (“The Mandalorian”), Bella Ramsey (“Game of Thrones”), Anna Torv (“Fringe”), Gabriel Luna (“Agents of SHIELD”), Storm Reid (“Euphoria”) and Nick Offerman (“Parks and Recreation”).
The Last of Us airs Sundays on HBO.