The Last of Us season two finale, which aired early on Monday morning here in the UK, welcomed 3.7 million cross-platform viewers in the US.
This figure is significantly lower than the season’s opening episode, which premiered with 5.3 million same-day US cross-platform viewers. To compare further, The Last of Us’ first season finale set an audience record of 8.2 million viewers on its debut.
However in a press release, HBO said it expects to see the second season finale’s audience “grow significantly” following the Memorial Day holiday weekend, which contributed to lower viewer numbers.
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Additionally, the network states the second season of The Last of Us is now averaging close to 37 million global viewers per episode, with that number “growing”.
To give more context, following its debut in 2023, HBO said the first season of The Last of Us was averaging nearly 32 million cross-platform viewers per episode in the States. At this time, the company added The Last of Us was the most-watched show in the history of HBO Max in both Europe and Latin America.
Viewer numbers have continued to rise since season one’s release, and the show’s global audience now sits at more than 90 million.
The second season of The Last of Us picks up five years after the events of the season one finale, with Ellie and Joel – played by Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal – now living in Jackson. New cast members this season include Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, Isabela Merced as Dina, Young Mazino as Jesse and Catherine O’Hara as a new character for the show, Gail.
Image credit: HBO
Prior to its season two premiere, The Last of Us was renewed for a third season. At this time, showrunner Craig Mazin said: “We approached season two with the goal of creating something we could be proud of. The end results have exceeded even our most ambitious goals, thanks to our continued collaboration with HBO and the impeccable work of our unparalleled cast and crew.”
Earlier this month, the showrunner confirmed The Last of Us TV team is working on a four season plan, stating there’s “no way” the show’s narrative can be wrapped up in only three seasons. As for its next outing, earlier this week The Last of Us’ cast and crew shared some insight into where the show will go during its third season.
For more on the show, you can check out my discussion feature: The Last of Us season two wraps with episode seven, but was it a satisfying finale?