The eighth episode of The Last of Us drew in a remarkable 8.1 million viewers across HBO and linear telecasts on Monday. This represents a 74 percent increase from the series debut back in January, which had 4.7 million viewers. WarnerMedia has confirmed that episode 8, titled ‘When We Are in Need,’ is now the most-watched chapter of the series. These numbers have been calculated using Nielsen and first-party data and do not include data from Disney+ Hotstar, which is the platform for watching The Last of Us in India. The previous record for viewership was held by episode 4, which had 7.5 million viewers. The viewership data for episodes 5, 6, and 7 has not been disclosed by HBO.
According to HBO, The Last of Us has been the top title overall on HBO Max for eight consecutive weeks. All episodes have ranked among the top 10 individual assets of the week. The average audience count for the first five episodes across HBO cable and HBO Max is nearly 30 million. These impressive records, along with the show’s success with fans of the original PlayStation video game, led to the announcement of a second season in January. The second season will focus on events from The Last of Us Part II, the polarizing and graphic sequel that follows the journey of a 19-year-old Ellie. The pilot episode of The Last of Us was a huge success for HBO, becoming their second-most-watched debut after the Game of Thrones prequel series, House of the Dragon, which had nearly 10 million viewers.
The Last of Us continued to build on its success, with episode 2 gaining 5.7 million viewers, a 22 percent increase over the pilot. Episode 3 reached a milestone with 6.4 million viewers, and the fourth chapter achieved 7.5 million viewers. Due to the Super Bowl LVII event, HBO aired episode 5 of The Last of Us two days early, and no viewership numbers have been released since then. The penultimate episode portrayed a more serious tone as Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey, had to fend off preacher David and his cannibalistic survivor gang while Joel, played by Pedro Pascal, formed an emotional bond with Ellie.
As the final episode of The Last of Us approaches, HBO has released a preview trailer where Joel and Ellie are seen heading to the Fireflies camp in Salt Lake City to find a cure for the fungal outbreak using Ellie’s immunity. The trailer hints at something sinister happening as they are shown facing a grenade attack. This episode might also feature Ashley Johnson, the voice actor for Ellie in the original game, portraying the on-screen character of Anna, Ellie’s mother.
In a recent interview, Bella Ramsey hinted that the finale of The Last of Us will divide people’s opinions. This suggests that the show might deviate significantly from the video game, which could please or disappoint avid gamers. Personally, I believe that some of the changes made in the show have been the highlights.
The Last of Us finale will air on Monday, March 13, at 8:30 am IST on Disney+ Hotstar and at 9 pm PT on HBO Max.
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Eugen Boglaru is an AI aficionado covering the fascinating and rapidly advancing field of Artificial Intelligence. From machine learning breakthroughs to ethical considerations, Eugen provides readers with a deep dive into the world of AI, demystifying complex concepts and exploring the transformative impact of intelligent technologies.
